Roundtable discussion on protecting agricultural lands vis-a-vis bill on Philippine National Land Use and Management Act held

More than 30 representatives from government agencies and CSOs, together with experts and practitioners in the field of agriculture and rural development gathered in the experts’ roundtable discussion entitled, “Agricultural Lands, Are They Worth Protecting?” last June 4, 2015 in Quezon City.

The experts’ RTD was an input session from experts, scientists, and practitioners in the field of agriculture and rural development regarding the pressing issue on the protection of prime agricultural lands in the Philippines with the following questions:

  • How do we define prime agricultural lands?
  • Should we have protected areas for agriculture i.e. prime agricultural lands, and how many hectares are needed to achieve food security?
  • What can LGUs do to ensure proper land use and protect agricultural lands?

During the open forum, participants have also deliberated the definition of ‘prime agricultural lands’ to be used for the National Land Use Act (NLUA) Bill.

Moving forward, participants agreed to soon finalize the definition, and hence submit it to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

The Experts’ RTD was organized by Campaign for Land Use Policy NOW (CLUP Now!) with support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) and Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE).

ANGOC project officer Mr. Jay Ablola, opening the program

ANGOC project officer Mr. Jay Ablola, opening the program

ANGOC Chairperson Emeritus Fr. Francis Lucas, introducing the speakers.

ANGOC Chairperson Emeritus Fr. Francis Lucas, introducing the speakers.

The roundtable discussion proper.

The roundtable discussion proper.

Awarding a token of appreciation and participation to Dr. Gelia Castillo, an internationally recognized Filipino social scientist.

Awarding a token of appreciation to Dr. Gelia Castillo, an internationally recognized Filipino social scientist.