Republic of the Philippines 
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HOUSE OF REPESENTATIVES 
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Quezon City, Metro Manila 
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NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
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First Regular Session 
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HOUSE BILL NO.   ______________________ 
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Introduced by Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga 
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_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
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        EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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Hunger incidence among the Filipinos is intensifying now more than ever. Food prices 
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skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, making foodstuffs even more difficult to purchase. 
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Consumers will feel more of the food crisis toward the last few months of 2022 as the 
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months-long standoff between Ukraine and Russia continue to disrupt the shipment of 
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food items across the globe. 
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In the coming months, food shortages, particularly of grains and vegetable oils, will 
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become acute and one way of addressing the looming food crisis is to scale up local 
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production. One way of scaling up local food production is through urban agriculture. 
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Urban agriculture contributes positively and significantly to food security, where 
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can reduce poverty level and hunger. It can reinforce every household to face food crisis 
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through income generation and quality of food. 
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This bill aims to push urban agriculture in the Philippines to its heights towards food 
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security and improvement of nutrition of the Filipinos 
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In view of the foregoing, approval of this proposed measure is earnestly sought. 
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WILFRIDO MARK M. ENVERGA 
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July 26, 2022
6:05 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ______ 
____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga 
_____________________________________________________________ 
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.’ 
SEC. 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 sufficient and 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 agro-ecology, 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. And, instill a love of farming among urban 
dwellers, most especially the youth.  
Accordingly, the State shall ensure the integration of principles, strategies and 
technologies on urban agriculture in urban planning. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. As used in this Act: 
(a) Agro-ecology refers to a scientific discipline and set of practices that studies
how different components of the agroecosystem interact, and seeks
sustainable farming systems that optimize and stabilize yields. it applies
ecological concepts and principles to manage interactions between plants,
animals, humans and the environment for food security and nutrition;
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(b) Community Gardens refer to any piece of land cultivated by 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 neighborhoods and 
schools, or connected to institutions such as hospitals or located on the 
grounds or roofs of shared housing, such as, but not limited to, tenements and 
apartment complexes;  
 
(c)  Food Forest Gardening refers to multi-layered crop farming or a 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 agro-forestry that creates 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 processess, 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 have been idle and have not been used for the 
purpose for which they have been reserved for the past 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 city and countryside. 
Peri-urban areas are semi-dense clusters with a density of at least 300 


inhabitants per square kilometer and a population of 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 yields, safer, cleaner and of better quality even out of season by 
modifying the natural environment and protect crop against the elements 
(high temperature, excessive rainfall, humidity, wind, birds, insects, etc.); also 
known as greenhouse agriculture; 
  
(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 technologies proving that soil is not 
crucial to grow plants; a method when plants do not rely on the soil as a source 
of nutrients and water; common methods are hydroponics, aquaponics and 
aeroponics; 
 
(n) Urban areas shall refer to any of the following, per PSA Resolution No. 01, 
Series of 2017-098: 
- 
If a barangay has a population size of 5,000 or more; 
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If a barangay has at least one establishment with a minimum of 100 
employees; 
- 
If a barangay has 5 or more establishments with a minimum of 0 employee, 
and 5 or more facilities within the two-kilometer radius from the barangay 
hall; 
 
(o) Urban planning refers to 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, considering 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; 
generally done in greenhouses, warehouses, abandoned buildings, shipping 
containers, tunnels, skyscrapers and modern buildings using soilless farming 
techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics or aeroponics.  
 
SEC. 4. Coverage. This Act shall cover idle or abandoned government or private 
lands, buildings, shipping containers, subdivisions/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 said lands; 
Provided further That, the raising of poultry and livestock shall be limited to urbanizable 


areas and all livestock raising 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. 
 
SEC. 5. Urban Farming.  Local government units shall identify and develop idle 
government and/or private lands and buildings, without prejudice to the rights of 
owners of private lands, buildings and open spaces, within their 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 agro-ecological principles shall be the 
priority form of urban agriculture wherever applicable and feasible; Provided further, 
That, spaces allocated for urban agriculture and aquaculture shall not be prime lots. 
LGUs, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Cooperative 
Development Authority (CDA), shall capacitate neighborhood associations and people’s 
organizations, and/or facilitate the organization and registration of community-based 
cooperatives, to undertake community gardening and establish community farmers’ 
markets.  
 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit or extinguish the rights of owners to 
their private land/s and space/s without their consent or without 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 subdivision, condominium and public 
housing projects have provisions for adequate spaces for community gardens, food 
forest gardens, greenhouse agriculture, roof gardens, indoor farms and/or vertical 
farms. Towards this end, the DHSUD, in coordination with the DA, shall capacitate 
homeowners’ association to undertake community gardening and/or vertical farming.  
 
The DA shall provide the 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-workshop to capacitate various 
stakeholders, and the design, establishment, promotion and regulation of indoor and 
vertical farming machineries 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 provision of technical assistance 
is consistent with Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PHILGAP) or a set of 
standards and regulations ensuring food quality and safety, facilitation of market access, 
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 or the Food Safety Act of 2013 and relevant laws. 
 
The DA, in coordination with the Department of Science and Technology, 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Energy, and the 
Department Of Public Works And Highways shall also undertake the establishment of 
rainwater harvesting facilities in compliance with Republic Act No. 6716, renewable 
energy systems and solid waste management systems, including waste-to-energy 
facilities, to provide sustainable supply of water, energy and compost to community 
gardens, food forest gardens and urban farms.   
 


SEC. 6. Urban Agriculture/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 sustainable peri-urban interface, as well as 
for the spatial requirements of supply chain management and logistics to strengthen 
urban-rural foodshed linkages.  
 
Towards these ends, the DHSUD shall promulgate guidelines for the 
harmonization of Comprehensive Land Use Plans and zoning ordinances of local 
government units with urban agriculture policies, frameworks, strategies and 
standards.   
 
 
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 program.   
 
LGUs, with the assistance of the DA, Department of Interior and Local Government 
and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, shall establish 
and maintain a digital information system to facilitate the efficient collection, 
management and analysis of urban food system, agriculture and nutrition data, as well 
as monitoring and evaluation of LGU performance vis-à-vis food system, agriculture and 
nutrition targets, to inform local planning, policy-making and programming, and to 
ensure open public access to data. 
 
SEC. 7. Urban Agriculture/Aquaculture Education. The Department of 
Education and the Commission on Higher Educations, with the technical assistance of 
the Department of Agriculture, shall integrate urban agriculture in 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/or 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 agro-ecological principles. 
 
The Department of Education, with the assistance of the Department of 
Agriculture, shall strengthen the implementation of Gulayan sa Paaralan Program in 
elementary and secondary schools, establishing school gardens to ensure continuous 
supply of vegetables for school feeding, in accordance with Republic Act No. 11037, 
entitled ‘An Act Institutionalizing a National Feeding Program for Undernourished 
Children in Public Day Care, Kindergarten and Elementary Schools to Combat Hunger 
and Undernutrition among Filipino Children and Appropriating Funds Therefor’.  
 
For universities and colleges, urban agriculture shall form part of the required 
period of time spent by students in the National Service Training Program or the 


Citizens' Military Training.  A plan for the utilization or maximization of space occupied 
by schools shall be formulated specifically for urban agriculture purposes. 
 
SEC. 8. Urban Agriculture Awareness Campaign. The DILG, The National 
Nutrition Council, and Local Government Units (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 agricultural offices, the provincial, city, municipal and barangay agriculture 
and fishery councils, the barangay, municipal, city and provincial federation of SK and 
the youth sector represented in any local special body under LGUs. 
 
The Department of Social Work And Development 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). 
 
SEC. 9. Research and Development. The DA and the Department of Science and 
Technology, 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.  
 
SEC. 10.  Incentives. Compliance by subdivision and condominium developers 
and/or owners with Section 5 of this Act may qualify them for incentives provided for 
under Republic Act No. 10771, entitled ‘An Act Promoting the Creation of Green Jobs, 
Granting Incentives and Appropriating Funds Therefor’, subject to 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, entitled ‘An Act 
Establishing and Institutionalizing the Seal of Good Local Governance for Local 
Government Units, and Allocating for this Purpose the Seal of Good Local Governance 
Fund’. 
 
Loans extended by government and private banks to participating individuals, 
corporations and partnerships shall be treated as compliance to Republic Act No. 
10000, entitled ‘An Act Providing for an Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Credit and 
Financing System through Banking Institutions’.   
 
SEC. 11.  Inter-Agency Coordination. There is hereby established a National 
Convergence Program on Urban Agriculture. The Department of Agriculture 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 Department of Agriculture shall provide technical assistance and support 
services 
to 
local 
government 
units, 
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 
(BAFE), shall provide the design, specifications, establishment strategies, 
promotion, regulation and technical assistance in the fabrication of production 
models of indoor farming, vertical farming and other urban agriculture 
machineries, equipment and facilities; 
 
b) The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (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 in 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/ aquaculture projects in their 
neighborhoods and communities 
 
c) The Department of Interior and Local Government shall monitor the compliance 
of LGUs with the provisions of this Act in order to determine their qualification 
for incentives provided for under Republic Act No. 11292; 
 
d) The Department of Education (DepEd) shall integrate the principles and practice 
of urban agriculture using advanced crop production techniques like soilless 
agriculture, indoor farming/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 at 
Paghahayupan sa Paaralan Program. DepEd shall ensure the adequate capacity 
building programs such as training-workshop, hands-on training or immersion 
program of teachers and the development of appropriate instructional 
materials such as educational video and manual for this purpose; 
 
e) Department of Science and Technology 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) Department of Trade and Industry shall provide technical assistance in 
processing and packaging of surplus produce from urban agriculture/ 
aquaculture projects and ensure access of local government units, cooperatives, 
homeowners’ associations, and people’s organizations to markets; 
 
g) Department of Finance shall administer the grant of incentives under Section 9 of 
this Act to qualified persons based on their compliance to Section 5 of this Act;  
 
h) Department of Budget and Management shall ensure adequate funding for the 
functions and programs provided for by under this Act; 
 
i) The Commission on Higher Education shall develop and implement curriculum 
on capacity building programs such as training-workshop, hands-on training or 


immersion program and related standards and instructional materials in 
support of urban agriculture; 
 
j) The Department of Public Works And Highways (DPWH) in compliance with RA 
6716 is mandated to undertake 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, costs of project development and operations, financial 
and economic factors and institutional arrangements. 
 
k) National Nutrition Council and The Food And Nutrition Research Institute shall 
assist the DEPED in identifying the crops to be cultivated in schools farms and 
in preparing nutritious food, pursuant to standardized menus to ensure child 
nutrition provided for under Republic Act No. 11037, and in developing the 
modules on nutrition. 
 
l) The Cooperative Development Authority 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 
implementation and evaluation of urban development projects; and, 
 
n) The Philippine Information Agency shall undertake a nationwide information 
campaign, utilizing all forms of media, to raise awareness and encourage 
participation of the public in the implementation of this Act. 
 
o) Philippine Information Agency shall undertake a nationwide information 
campaign, utilizing all forms of media, to raise awareness and encourage 
participation of the public in the implementation of this Act, in close 
coordination with other cultural agencies such as, but not limited to, NCCA AND 
FDCP. 
 
p) 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 where every child fully 
enjoys his/her rights. 
 
q) The National Youth Commission, as the Philippine government’s sole policy-
making body on youth affairs and consistent with its role 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. 
 
SEC. 11. Periodic report to Congress.  The Department of Agriculture and 
partner 
agencies 
in 
the 
National 
Convergence 
Program 
on 
Urban 
Agriculture/Aquaculture shall submit annual performance reports to Congress.  
 
SEC. 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. 
 
SEC. 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations.  Within six (6) months from the 
effectivity of this Act, the agencies under the National Convergence Program on Urban 
Agriculture/Aquaculture shall promulgate the necessary implementing rules and 
regulations to implement the provisions of this Act. 
  
SEC. 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. 
 
SEC. 15.  Repealing Clause.  All laws, executive orders, issuances, rules and 
regulations inconsistent with this Act are hereby amended, repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
 
SEC. 16. Effectivity.  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,