Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Constitution Hills, Batasan Complex, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No________________ 
Introduced by Representatives EDDIEBONG G. PLAZA and 
ALFEL M. BASCUG 
Explanatory Note 
In 2020, 47.41% of the Philippines!"total population lived in urban areas and cities.1 
Urbanization has effects on hunger and resulted in loss of agricultural land for urban use.  A 
recent SWS survey illustrated that the number of Filipino families who experienced involuntary 
hunger has increased in the 1st quarter in 2022. It was found out that 12.2% of Filipino families, 
or about 3.1 million households, have experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past 
three (3) months2.  
More so, it has been shown that hunger and malnutrition are contributors to urban 
poverty. Urban agriculture presents a way to address the aforementioned concerns since urban 
agriculture facilitates the productive use of open spaces generating income and employment 
while providing nutritious source of food for the growing urban sectors.  
When enacted into law, this legislation shall require the local government units to 
promote urban farming in their jurisdictions by developing idle government and private lands 
for the said purpose. This is to improve local food system infrastructure, alleviate poverty, and 
food security particularly for the city dwellers. This also seeks to integrate urban agriculture in 
the academic curriculum for primary and secondary education while the higher education shall 
develop curriculum on capacity building programs in support of urban farming. 
This bill was approved in the House of Representatives during the 18th Congress and 
duly transmitted to the Senate. This measure is refiled for the consideration of the 19th 
Congress. 
1 https://www.statista.com/statistics/455910/urbanization-in-
philippines/#:~:text=Urbanization%20in%20the%20Philippines%202020&text=In%202020%2C%2047.41%20
percent%20of,in%20urban%20areas%20and%20cities. 
2 https://riseagainsthungerphilippines.org/understanding-hunger/world-hunger-facts/ 
July 4, 2022
3:42 pm
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In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
 
 
 
 
 
              ALFEL M. BASCUG 
EDDIEBONG G. PLAZA 
 1ST District, Agusan del Sur 
2nd District, Agusan del Sur 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Constitution Hills, Batasan Complex, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No________________ 
Introduced by Representatives EDDIEBONG G. PLAZA and 
ALFEL M. BASCUG 
AN ACT PROMOTING INTEGRATED URBAN AGRICULTURE IN URBAN AREAS 
NATIONWIDE TO ADDRESS FOOD SECURITY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS 
THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the #Integrated Urban Agriculture Act of 
2022”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. The State shall promote and protect the fundamental right 
of every person to adequate food and freedom from hunger. Recognizing the challenges to food 
security and ecological balance in urban areas, the State shall optimize the use and productivity 
of urban land resources and spaces to support sustainable food production. Towards this end, 
the State shall promote the development of modern, cost-effective, space-efficient, and 
environmentally-safe agriculture technologies in urban areas to contribute in achieving 
sustainable food production and food security, promoting agroecology, ensuring public and 
mental health, and thus, improving the quality of life of urban populations.  In doing so, the 
State shall prioritize the conservation of the country"s genetic biodiversity, and endemic and 
heirloom flora and fauna as a strategy for climate change, adaptation, mitigation, and resiliency. 
Accordingly, the State shall ensure the integration of principles, strategies, and 
technologies on urban agriculture in urban planning and instill a love of farming among urban 
dwellers most especially the youth. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. As used in this Act: 
a) Agroecology refers to a scientific discipline and set of practices that studies how
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different components of the agroecosystem interact and seeks sustainable farming 
systems that optimize and stabilize yields. It applies ecological concepts and principles 
to manage interaction among plants, animals, humans, and the environment for food 
security and nutrition; 
 
b) Community Gardens refer to any piece of land cultivated by a group of people using 
either individual or shared plots on public or private land with the consent of the owner, 
to produce edibles, such as herbs, vegetables, fruits, or ornamentals, as a form of 
sustainable land use system for economic and societal development. Community 
gardens may be found in the neighborhoods and schools, or connected to institutions 
such as hospitals, or located on the ground or roofs of shared housing such as tenements 
and apartment complexes; 
 
c) Food Forest Gardening refers to multi-layered crop farming or low maintenance and 
sustainable method of food production that is based on woodland ecosystems, 
incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines, and perennial vegetables which 
yields are directly useful to humans. It also refers to a system of agroforestry that creates 
a diverse, productive, healthy, ecologically sound and sustainable system of land use; 
 
d) Food security refers to a situation wherein all people have access to sufficient, safe, 
nutritious food, at all times, to maintain a healthy and active life; 
 
e) Food system refers to a complex web of activities involving the production, processing, 
transport, and consumption of food. Issues concerning the food system include the 
governance and economics of food production, its sustainability, the degree to which 
we waste food, how food production affects the natural environment, and the impact of 
food on individual and population health; 
 
f) Good Agricultural Practices refer to the practices that address environmental, 
economic, and social sustainability for on-farm processes, and which result in safe and 
quality food and non-food agricultural products; 
 
g) Idle lands refer to non-agricultural lands in urban and urbanizable areas on which no 
improvements have been made by the owner, as certified by the city, municipal or 
provincial assessor. Idle government lands refer to lands owned by any government 
entity that has been idle and have not been used for the purpose for which they have 
been reserved for the past ten (10) years; 
 
h) Indoor farming refers to controlled environment agriculture which aims to optimize 
plant growth to house vertical farming techniques in greenhouses, warehouses, 
abandoned buildings, shipping containers, tunnels, skyscrapers, and modern buildings 
using soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics; 
 
i) Integrated urban agriculture refers to the development paradigm that encompasses 
principles, management technologies, and the policies relating to the practice and 
application of agricultural and fisheries production of food and goods in urban areas; 
 
j) Peri-urban areas refer to areas where urban and rural features and processes meet, 
interact, and intertwine, usually located between the city and countryside. Peri-urban 
areas are semi-dense clusters with a density of at least three hundred (300) inhabitants 


 
 
per square kilometer and a population of five thousand (5,000) or more but are neither 
contiguous with nor within two (2) kilometers of an urban area; 
 
k) Protected agriculture refers to the use of technologies that enclose crops to harvest 
higher yield, safer, cleaner, and of better quality even out of season by modifying the 
natural environment and protecting crops against the elements which include high 
temperature, excessive rainfall, humidity, wind, bird, insects; 
 
l) Social preparation refers to the series of activities designed to prepare the 
underprivileged and homeless families to cope with the changes brought about by 
government development projects; 
 
m) Soilless agriculture refers to the method of growing plants that do not rely on the soil 
as a source of nutrients and water; common methods are hydroponics, aquaponics, and 
aeroponics; 
 
n) Urban areas refer to the classification as may be made by the Philippine Statistics 
Authority (PSA) which under PSA Resolution No.01, Series of 2017-098, covers any 
of the following: 
 
-If a barangay has a population size of five thousand (5,000) or more; 
-If a barangay has at least one establishment with a minimum of one hundred 
(100) employees; 
-if a barangay has five (5) or more establishments with a minimum of zero (0) 
employee, and five (5) or more facilities within the two (2)-kilometer radius 
from the barangay hall; 
 
o) Urban planning refers to the multi-disciplinary art and science of analyzing, specifying, 
clarifying, harmonizing, managing, and regulating the use and development of land and 
water resources, in relation to their environs, for the development of sustainable 
communities and ecosystems in urban and urbanizable areas; 
 
p) Urbanizable areas refer to sites and lands, which consider the present characteristics 
and prevailing conditions, display marked and great potential of becoming urban areas 
within the period of five (5) years; and 
 
q) Vertical farming refers to the methods or practices of increasing the number of plants 
grown in an area by growing crops in vertically stacked layers; such as generally done 
in greenhouses, warehouses, abandoned buildings, shipping containers, tunnels, 
skyscrapers, and modern buildings using soilless farming techniques such as 
hydroponic, aquaponics or aeroponics. 
 
SECTION 4. Coverage. This Act shall cover idle or abandoned government or private lands, 
buildings, shipping containers, subdivisions, or villages, public housing, open spaces in all 
urban, peri-urban and urbanizable areas in the country, and all available land resources and 
buildings in schools, state or private universities and colleges, military camps suitable for 
growing crops and raising poultry, livestock and aquaculture: Provided, That, the utilization of 
idle lands for urban agriculture purposes shall not be used as grounds for the eviction of 
informal settler families occupying the lands; Provided further, That the raising of poultry and 
livestock shall be limited to urbanizable areas and all livestock shall be subject to health and 


 
 
safety standards and regulations issued by the Department of Health (DOH), Department of 
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Human Settlements and Urban 
Development (DHSUD) and other relevant government agencies. 
 
SECTION 5. Urban Farming. Local government units shall identify and develop idle 
government and private lands and buildings without prejudice to the rights of owners of private 
lands, buildings, and open spaces, within the jurisdiction, for full or partial conversion solely 
to community gardens, food forest gardens, indoor farms, and/or vertical farms to support food 
security and community nutrition; Provided, That food forest gardens and urban farms adopting 
agroecological principles shall be priority form of urban agriculture wherever applicable shall 
not be prime lots. All LGUs in coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the 
Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) shall capacitate neighborhood associations and 
people"s organizations and facilitate the organization and registration of community-based 
cooperatives, to undertake community gardening and establish community farmer"s markets. 
 
 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit or extinguish the rights of owners to their 
private lands and spaces without their consent or their receipt of just compensation, in case of 
expropriation. 
 
 
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) shall ensure 
that the design and development of the subdivision, condominium, and public housing projects 
have provisions for adequate spaces for community gardens, food forest gardens, greenhouse 
agriculture, roof gardens, indoor farms ad vertical farms. Towards this end, the DHSUD, in 
coordination with the DA, shall capacitate homeowners $associations to undertake community 
gardening and vertical farming. 
 
 
The DA shall provide necessary technical assistance and support services, including the 
provision of seeds and seedlings and gardening tools, access to loans from government 
financial institutions, and training workshops that shall capacitate various stakeholders. It may 
assist in the design, establishment, promotion, and regulation of indoor and vertical farming 
machinery and facilities to ensure the full productivity of community gardens, school gardens, 
food forest gardens, greenhouse farms, roof gardens, and indoor and vertical farms. The DA 
shall ensure that the technical assistance it provides is consistent with the Philippine Good 
Practices (PHILGAP) or a set of standards and regulations, ensuring food equality and safety, 
facilitation of market access, the establishment of community farmers!"markets, and reduction 
in non-compliance with issuances regarding permitted pesticides and other contamination 
hazards, as provided under Republic Act No. 10611, otherwise known as the #Food Safety Act 
of 2013”, and relevant laws. 
 
 
The DA, in coordination with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Energy 
(DOE), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) shall also undertake the 
establishment of rainwater harvesting facilities in compliance with Republic Act No. 6716, 
entitled, #An Act Providing for the Construction of Water Wells, Rainwater Collectors, 
Development of Spring and Rehabilitation of Existing Water Wells in All Barangays in the 
Philippines”, renewable energy systems and solid waste management systems, including 
waste-to-energy facilities, to provide a sustainable supply of water, energy, and compost to 
community gardens, food forest gardens, and urban farms. 
 


 
 
SECTION 6. Urban Agriculture and Aquaculture in Urban Planning. The DHSUD, in 
coordination with the DA, shall ensure the integration of concepts and principles of urban 
agriculture and its relationship to other processes in the food system in urban planning. 
Accordingly, the DHSUD and DA shall promote sustainable, smart, and organic food 
production systems that harness the benefits of new technologies and methods in soil, nutrient, 
water, and energy management, such as composting, rainwater harvesting, and utilization of 
renewable energy. The DHSUD shall also ensure the rational use of land resources in urban 
planning to promote a sustainable peri-urban interface, as well as for the spatial requirements 
of supply chain management and logistics to strengthen urban-rural foodshed linkages. 
 
 
Toward these ends, the DHSUD shall promote guidelines for the harmonization of the 
comprehensive land use plans and zoning ordinances of LGUs with urban agriculture policy 
frameworks, strategies, and standards. 
 
 
All LGUs are hereby mandated to incorporate urban agricultural development in their 
respective Annual Development Plans, Annual Investment Plans, Physical Framework Plans, 
and Development Master Plans including the hiring of agriculturists and agricultural and 
biosystems engineers to carry out urban agriculture programs. 
 
 
Likewise, LGUs with the assistance of the DA, Department of Interior and Local 
Government (DILG), and the Department of Information and Communications Technology 
(DICT) shall establish and maintain a digital information system to facilitate the efficient 
collection, management, and analysis of urban food systems, agriculture and nutrition data, as 
well as the monitoring and evaluation of LGU performance vis-a-vis the food system 
agriculture and nutrition targets, to inform local planning, policy-making and programming 
bodies and to ensure open public access to data. 
 
SECTION 7. Urban Agriculture/Aquaculture Education. The Department of Education 
(DepED) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) with the technical assistance of 
the DA, shall integrate urban agriculture into the academic curriculum for elementary, 
secondary, and tertiary level students of both public and private academic institutions offering 
courses in Agriculture, Practical Arts, Home Economics and other subjects related to 
agriculture. A course curriculum on gardening shall be developed and included in the regular 
curriculum of elementary and secondary education. Instructional materials shall likewise be 
developed utilizing advanced techniques of crop and food animal production, urban agriculture 
and farming, and cultivating awareness and appreciation of genetic biodiversity, heirloom, and 
endemic flora and fauna, and agroecological principles.  
 
 
The DepED, with the assistance of the DA, shall strengthen the implementation of its 
Gulayan sa Paaralan Program in elementary and secondary schools. The establishment of 
school gardens shall be encouraged to ensure a continuous supply of vegetables for school 
feeding, in accordance with Republic Act No. 11037, otherwise knowns as the #Masustansyang 
Pagkain Para Sa Batang Pilipino Act”. 
 
 
For universities and colleges, urban agriculture shall form part of the required period 
spent by students in the National Service Training Program. 
 
 
A plan for the utilization or maximization of space occupied by schools shall be 
formulated specifically for urban agriculture purposes. 
 


 
 
SECTION 8. Urban Agriculture Awareness Campaign. The DILG, National Nutrition 
Council, and LGUs are mandated to formulate policies on urban farming in consonance with 
the provisions of this Act and be at the forefront of community-based education and awareness 
campaigns. For this purpose, LGUs shall mobilize existing structures and local bodies such as 
the provincial, city, and municipal and barangay agriculture and fishery councils, the 
provincial, city, municipal, and barangay federation of Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), and the 
youth sector represented in any local special body under LGUs. 
 
 
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall integrate urban 
agriculture and community nutrition in the seminar workshops and training programs to 
educate qualified household beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). 
 
SECTION 9. Research and Development. The DA and the DOST, as well as relevant state 
universities, government research and development institutions, and the private sector shall 
intensify research on methods and technologies to support urban agriculture, including the 
development and operation of sustainable demonstration urban community gardens, food forest 
gardens, greenhouse, indoor, roof, and vertical farms. 
 
SECTION 10. Incentives. Compliance by subdivision and condominium developers and 
owners with Section 5 of this Act may qualify them for incentives provided for under Republic 
Act No. 10771, otherwise known as the #Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016”, subject to the 
rules and regulations promulgated by the Department of Finance and the DHSUD. 
 
 
The commitment and performance of LGUs in the implementation of this Act shall be 
included in the criteria for the awarding of the Seal of Good Local Governance and the 
provision of incentives, provided for under Republic Act No. 11292, otherwise known as #The 
Seal of Good Local Governance Act of 2019.” 
 
 
Loans extended by the government and private banks to participating individuals, 
corporations and partnerships shall be treated in compliance with Republic Act No. 10000, 
otherwise known as #The Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act of 2009”. 
SECTION 11. Inter-Agency Coordination. There is hereby established a National 
Convergence Program on Urban Agriculture and Aquaculture. The DA is hereby designated as 
the Lead Implementing Agency and the Secretariat of the Convergence Program. The following 
agencies shall perform duties and responsibilities in order to develop and sustain concerted 
action to promote urban agriculture: 
 
a) The DA shall provide technical assistance and support services to LGUs, community-
based cooperatives, homeowners’ associations, neighborhood associations, and 
people’s organizations to ensure the viability and cost-effectiveness of urban agriculture 
projects and through its Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering, shall provide 
the design, specifications, establishments strategies, promotion, regulation and 
technical assistance in the fabrication of production models of indoor farming, vertical 
farming, and other urban agriculture machinery, equipment, and facilities; 
 
b) The DHSUD shall encourage the integration of urban agriculture principles, policies, 
strategies, frameworks, and standards in the design and development of subdivisions 
and condominium projects. The DHSUD shall ensure such integration in public housing 
projects and the preparation or updating of development and investment plans, CLUPs, 
and zoning ordinances of LGUs. The DHSUD shall also promulgate the necessary rules 


 
 
and monitor compliance therewith. The DHSUD shall provide assistance to 
homeowners’ associations to strengthen their capacity to undertake urban agriculture or 
aquaculture projects in their neighborhoods and communities; 
 
c) The DILG shall monitor the compliance of LGUs with the provisions of this Act to 
determine their qualification for the incentives provided under Republic Act No. 11292; 
 
d) The DepED shall integrate the principles and practice of urban agriculture using 
advanced crop production techniques like soilless agriculture, indoor farming, or 
vertical farming to include modern methods of irrigation and automated systems into 
primary and secondary education curricula, including the establishment of school 
gardens under the Gulayan sa Paaralan Program. The DepED shall ensure adequate 
capacity-building programs such as training-workshop, hands-on training, or 
immersion program for teachers and the development of appropriate instructional 
materials such as educational videos and manuals for this purpose; 
 
e) The DOST shall conduct research on modern, cost-effective methods and technologies 
to support urban agricultural production, as well as post-harvest handling of surplus 
produce from urban agriculture projects; 
 
f) The DTI shall provide technical assistance in processing and packaging of surplus 
produce from urban agriculture and aquaculture projects and ensure access of local 
government units, cooperatives, homeowners’ associations, and people’s organizations 
to markets; 
 
g) The DOF shall administer the grant of incentives under Section 10 of this Act to 
qualified persons based on their compliance with Sections 5 of this Act; 
 
h) The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) shall ensure adequate funding for 
the functions and programs provided for by under this Act; 
 
i) The CHED shall develop and implement a curriculum on capacity-building programs 
such as training workshops, hands-on training or immersion program, and related 
standards and instructional materials in support of urban agriculture; 
 
j) The DPWH in compliance with RA 6716 is mandated to undertake the construction of 
water wells, rainwater collectors, development of springs, and rehabilitation of existing 
water wells in all barangays in the Philippines, taking into consideration the population, 
hydrologic conditions, cost of project development, and operations, financial and 
economic factors and institutional arrangements; 
 
k) The National Nutrition Council and the Food and Nutrition Research Institute shall 
assist the DepED in identifying the crops to be cultivated on schools’ farms and in 
preparing nutritious food, pursuant to standardized menus to ensure child nutrition 
provided under Republic Act No. 11037, and in developing the modules on nutrition; 
 
l) The CDA shall provide guidance and assistance to LGUs in the development of 
cooperatives within their jurisdiction; 
 
m) The Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor shall undertake social preparation 


 
 
activities to encourage participation and empower poor and underprivileged 
communities from the preparation and planning to the implementation and evaluation 
of urban development projects; 
 
n) The Philippine Information Agency shall undertake a nationwide information 
campaign, utilizing all forms of media, to raise awareness and encourage the 
participation of the public in the implementation of this Act, in close coordination with 
other cultural agencies such as the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCAA) 
and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP); 
 
o) The Council for the Welfare of Children shall integrate urban agriculture in the 
formulation of programs and measures providing dynamic leadership in ensuring a 
child-friendly and child-sensitive society; 
 
p) The National Youth Commission, as the Philippine government’s sole policy-making 
body on youth affairs and consistent with its roles in coordinating and implementing 
programs designed to help the youth become more aware of the issues surrounding 
them, shall include an appreciation of urban agriculture. 
 
SECTION 11. Performance Report to Congress. The DA and partner agencies in the National 
Convergence Program on Urban Agriculture and Aquaculture shall submit annual performance 
reports to Congress. 
 
SECTION 12. Appropriations. The funds necessary to carry out the initial implementation of 
this Act shall be charged against the respective budget of concerned agencies for the current 
year. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act 
shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
SECTION 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within ninety (90) days from the 
effectivity of this Act, the agencies under the National Convergence Program on Urban 
Agriculture and Aquaculture shall promulgate the necessary implementing rules and 
regulations to implement the provisions of this Act. 
 
SECTION 14. Separability Clause. If any part or provision of this Act is held unconstitutional 
or invalid, other parts or provisions hereof which are not affected shall continue to remain in 
full force and effect. 
 
SECTION 15. Repealing Clause. All laws, executive orders, issuances, rules, and regulations 
inconsistent with this Act are hereby amended, repealed, or modified accordingly. 
 
SECTION 16. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.