Food Systems Planning in the Philippines Prospects and Applications

Overview of presentation • What is food systems planning? • Food systems • Planning

• It is relevant? • Issues and concerns in the food system • Social and economic concerns

• How do we adopt food systems planning? • The food and agribusiness system • Local development planning process

• It is relevant to us? • Summary and conclusion

What is food systems planning? • A food system is concerned with production, processing, distribution, consumption and waste management of food (Pothukuchi and Kaufman, 2000) • It covers food availability, access and preference • Also known by other names such as community food planning • Recognized branch of planning • Guidelines on Community and Regional Food Planning of the American Planning Association

What is food systems planning? (cont.) • Planning is the “process of making decisions to guide future actions” • Planning discipline is “concerned with shaping cities, towns and regions by managing development, infrastructure and services” • Food systems planning is concerned with: • Making the food system the center of development planning efforts • Management of the food system through planning

Is it relevant? • Food security is a major concern for all of us • Food security is defined as: • when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life (WHO)

• Access is about affordability, availability and preference • Threats to food security include • Population growth • World population is 9 billion by 2050, estimated food demand at 12 billion

• Peak oil • Decreasing oil production can lead to increasing oil prices

• Climate change • Brings extreme weather conditions that the affect production

Is it relevant? (cont.) • Urbanisation is the movement of population towards urban areas • Issues in the food system is more of an urban concern • Limited food production in urban areas • Relies on rural areas for food production

Is it relevant? (cont.) • The food system is a planning concern because (Pothukuchi and Kaufman, 2000) • Production is based on land • Food constitute large portion of household expenditure • Health and nutrition is a concern of planning • Social welfare of constituents

• Food purchases can generate additional travel demand • Gender concerns

Is it relevant? • We seek to determine whether food systems planning is relevant to the Philippines • Presents a bird’s eye view of situations • Look at the situation using an agribusiness systems perspective

Is it relevant? (cont.) Consumption •Purchases reflect changing diet of consumers • Decreasing cereal purchases • Increasing food consumed outside of the home

•Increasing share of supermarkets in retail markets •Incidence of malnutrition

Is it relevant? (cont.) Distribution and marketing •Infrastructure is needed for the distribution of commodities • Lack of farm-to-market roads • Construction and maintenance of barangay and municipal roads are left to the Local Government Unit (LGU) • Insufficient infrastructure leads to 4.75% production losses (Llanto, 2011)

•Changing market preferences require commercial spaces • Increasing share of supermarkets

Is it relevant? (cont.) Production •The agriculture sector employs approximately 35% of the country’s labour force •Smallholder producers are dependent on agriculture •Average land holding of smallholder producers are decreasing •Other issues in production are • Access to finance and technology

How do we go about this? • Local Development Planning in the Philippines • Local Government Units are mandated to develop: • A Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) • A Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP)

• The CLUP is the spatial strategy of the development used by LGUs • Should adhere to the National Framework for Physical Planning (NFPP) • Enforced through Zoning Ordinances enacted by the Sanggunian (local council)

• The CDP coordinates the different plans and programs of the LGU and National Agencies

How do we go about this? (cont.) • Local development planning starts with the Local Development Council (LDC) • Sets the development priorities and objectives of the LGU • Composed of elected officials and representatives from the community including the private sector, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and civil society groups • ¼ of the LDC composition must come from the private sector, NGOs and civil society

• The Local Planning and Development Coordinator (LPDC) serves as the Secretariat and technical arm of the LDC • Coordinates the development objectives of different sectors • Coordinates the programs of the LGU and National Agencies • Takes the lead in the formulation of the CLUP and CDP

How do we go about this? (cont.) Is the food system in the planning process? •The guiding principles of the NFPP include : • Food security • Environmental stability and ecological integrity • Spatial integration • Equitable access to physical and natural resources • Public-private sector partnership • Market orientation •Local development plans are concerned with • Social development • Economic development • Infrastructure development • Environment and natural resources • Institutional development

How do we go about this? (cont?) Development sector

Community concern

FSP

Social development

Incidence of malnutrition

Enhance access to nutritious food

Economic development

Incidence of poverty among producers

Develop markets and business linkages for smallholder producers

Environment and natural resources

Food waste and losses Enhance efficiency in supply chains Idle land Sustainability concerns Encourage utilisation of idle lands Reduction of food waste and losses

Summary • Food systems planning adoption • National framework is geared towards food security • Local government have autonomy in decision-making • Food system are included in planning development sectors

• Existing local development planning process can accommodate food systems planning • Concerns related to the food system are in development sectors • Requires an appreciation of the food system

• Food systems planning can assist linking smallholder producers • Developing integration between production and consumption • Providing conditions that are conducive to smallholder producers • Institutionalising efforts through local policies

Future actions • Research on the location-specific applications of food systems planning • Involvement of local planning and development in assisting smallholder producers