Civil society to watch for reforms by DA and DBM in the Agriculture Budget

Last July 26, 2011, CODE-NGO conducted a round table discussion that tackled reform initiatives being undertaken by the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to make the agriculture budget and programs more transparent and effective.  The push to decentralize funds and directly release them to regional offices and implementing units is expected to not only speed up the process of implementing programs and projects, but also strengthen local planning processes. However, civil society organizations at the regional and grassroots level will have to proactively engage the regional offices to ensure that the DA programs are implemented properly and that they address the needs of small farmers and fishers.

Mr. Caloy Magnaye of the DA’s Planning Service presented the initiatives led by the DA. These include:

• Lump sum funds are disaggregated by region and/or by implementing agency in the proposed 2012 budget to promote greater transparency
• The provision of input subsidies(seeds and fertilizer) will be stopped, and the DA funds will be shifted to irrigation and improving farm-to-market roads, post-harvest facilities and seed buffer stocking and seed banking
• There will be a shift from a production system to the value-chain framework (Farm-to-Table principle), broadening it to consider the continuum of processes involved in bringing the products of the farm to the final consumers
• A hands-on management of key programs particularly irrigation and farm-to-market roads, redesign of ongoing road projects, and concreting of sloping road sections to avoid erosion.
• Formalized partnership and participation of civil society organizations and other stakeholders in the preparation of budget proposals through Budget Partnership Agreements (BPA) to secure more effective feedback on how the existing national programs are affecting localities and communities

In addition to this, Ms. Nieva Natural, also of DA’s Planning Service, presented the agency’s plans in establishing a farmers’ registry.

Dir. Estrelita Bangsal of DBM also shared some reform initiatives of the Department of Budget and Management:

• A road network plan is now required before funds for farm to market roads (FMRs) are released
• Funds for FMRs are now directly released to regional offices
• Irrigation funds also to be released directly to the NIA implementing units
• All beneficiaries of subsidy programs will be required to be registered under the Unified Multi-Purpose Identification System to ensure that subsidies reach intended beneficiaries

The push to decentralize funds and directly release them to regional offices and implementing units is expected to not only speed up the process of implementing programs and projects, but also strengthen local planning processes. However, civil society organizations at the regional and grassroots level will have to proactively engage the regional offices to ensure that the DA programs are implemented properly and that they address the needs of small farmers and fishers. – by Patrick Lim, CODE-NGO Program Specialist for Advocacy.