WHEREAS, pursuant to the Philippine development objectives of enhancing the economy's global competitiveness and alleviating poverty and hunger, and consistent with the Administration's focus on agriculture as the engine of growth, the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP) 2004-2010 targets, among others, the development of at least two million hectares of new agribusiness lands for the creation of at least two million jobs;

WHEREAS, the new agribusiness lands for development include the 280,250 hectares of new areas for corn production also covering those in the uplands where more than 20 million poor farmers are dependent on corn grits for food but do not have adequate supply of the grain even for their own consumption;

WHEREAS, there is a successful program known as the Corn-Based Farmer-Scientist Research, Development and Extension (RDE) Training Program (FSTP), an extension program that integrates agricultural research and development, which is designed to enable the poor farmers particularly those in the upland, to liberate themselves from poverty by growing multiple crops and livestock in their corn farms for increased incomes; and

WHEREAS, the FSTP program, which was first piloted in Argao, Cebu in 1994 and has expanded province-wide in Cebu, in all six towns of Siquijor, some towns in Negros Oriental and Leyte in the Visayas, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro in Luzon and Laak in Compostela Valley Province in Mindanao, has successfully demonstrated that small marginalized farmers can be empowered with scientific knowledge of farming to produce more than enough corn for food with a surplus for sale, along with their production of vegetables, fruits and livestock, resulting in farmer ™s increased income by more than 100 percent, and thereby benefiting not only their families but also their communities and local governments.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order that the Corn-Based Farmer-Scientists RDE Training Program be adopted throughout the country as a National Program jointly implemented by Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), University of the Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB), state universities and colleges (SUCs) and other concerned agencies; and funded by the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the University of the Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB) through funding assistance in kind.

SECTION 1. Scope and Coverage.  The FSTP shall cover all upland areas where most farmers, who grown corn and other crops for food, are still living in poverty and hunger.  Priority are those farmers living in 6th, 5th and 4th class municipalities particularly the municipalities in the ten priority provinces under the Hunger Mitigation Program.

SECTION 2. Institutional Arrangements.  For the operation and implementation of FSTP, following shall be the arrangements between and among concerned national government agencies, the University of the Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB), concerned State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), and the Heads of various LGU leagues such as the League of Provinces, League of Cities, League of Municipalities and Liga ng mga Barangay:

1. Institutionalize, through the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), the FSTP as one of its extension approaches and ensure its successful implementation down to its intended beneficiaries;
   
   
2. Include in its annual budget proposal, separate funding for the FSTP implementation through the ATI;
   
   
3. Call on all national and local agencies for technical, policy, information, resource assistance and support;
   
   
4. Initiate and conduct national and regional discussions and consultations relative to the objectives, policies and program of action for the implementation of FSTP throughout the country;
   
   
5. Initiate and enhance partnerships with private sectors, donor agencies and other external bodies;
   
   
6. Ensure that FSTP implementation at the grassroots will be a joint undertaking between the national government through ATI and the local government units (LGUs) through a cost sharing scheme;
   
   
7. Facilitate the transfer of farming technologies developed by DA-BAR and other R&D agencies to the FSTP beneficiaries;
   
   
8. Provide marketing and packaging assistance for farm products developed by trained farmers;
   
   
9. Designate regional staff to serve as coordinators and Regional Secretariat.
   

1. Provide technical and financial support for R&D and technology transfer through the development of appropriate production technologies and extension modalities to be used by LGUs and their farmer-clientele;
   
   
2. Accept R&D proposals which will go through a specific evaluation and approval process on a competitive basis;
   
   
3. Provide technical assistance in the conduct of capability building and enhancement of FSTP implementation in the program areas;
   
   
4. Link the Techno Gabay Program through the Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) Centers with the FSTP; and
   
   
5. Through its regional offices, appoint R&D Coordinators for FSTP at the local level.
   

1. Assist in the identification of corn areas;
   
   
2. Provide technical and financial assistance in the conduct of capability building and enhancement programs for the beneficiaries;
   
   
3. Assist the program beneficiaries in the commercialization and marketing of corn products; and
   
   
4. Assist in the organization strengthening of cooperatives.
   

1. Call upon all national and local agencies for technical, policy, information and resource assistance and support;
   
   
2. Initiate and conduct national and regional discussions and consultations relating to policies, objectives and programs of actions for sustainable upland development;
   
   
3. Review and translate specific recommendations into operational guidelines of national concern, programs and initiatives, key areas and themes in coordination with national and local agencies for sustainable upland development;
   
   
4. Initiate and enhance partnership and coordination with private sector groups, donor agencies and other relevant external bodies;
   
   
5. Provide assistance to the program beneficiaries in the packaging and marketing of products derived from the project areas including resource mobilization; and
   
   
6. Submit regular reports and updates to the Office of the Presidents and other relevant agencies.
   

1. Issue Memorandum Circular on the nationwide promotion of the Farmers-Scientist Training Program (FSTP) at the local level;
   
   
2. Ensure proper coordination with the concerned local government units (LGUs) in the implementation of FSTP; and
   
   
3. Provide technical assistance to the FSTP model LGUs in the documentation of their success stories for social marketing and replication using the GO-FAR documentation template.
   
   
4. Capacitate the model LGUs on the mechanics of the conduct of the Replication Inception Workshop
   

1. Assist in the coordination and implementation of the program in their areas of responsibility as defined in the FSTP Manual of Operation and Management;
   
   
2. Provide resource persons/experts to deliver lectures/demonstrations on topics related to the program;
   
   
3. Provide support funds from their R & D and Extension units/programs; and
   
   
4. Direct SUCs to adopt FSTP in their agricultural extension program.
   

1. Act as the FSTP National Center for Operation and Management, which shall be based at the Agricultural Systems Cluster's office;
   
   
2. Assist in the training of FSTP Coordinators from the national down to regional and provincial levels;
   
   
3. Provide technical expertise, and determine and exercise quality control of technologies adopted and applied by the program and support staff to enhance the operation of FSTP nationwide;
   
   
4. Assist in the transfer of farming technologies developed by UPLB through R & D projects like newly developed corn (OPVs/hybrids), high yielding seeds of fruits and vegetables, new organic fertilizers and other technologies;
   
   
5. Assist in the monitoring and evaluation of the accomplishments of the program; and
   
   
6. Tap the support of other colleges/institutes/centers at the local level with technologies/expertise needed by FSTP.
   

SECTION 3. Participation of the Local Government Units.  The Local Government Units (LGUs) identified as program target areas, are encouraged to:  1) pass a resolution adopting the FSTP as a support strategy for agricultural and economic development through their Local Sangunian;  2) conduct massive information campaign on the program at the barangay level through their respective Provincial, City and Municipal Agriculturists;  3) provide support in the packaging and marketing of the products of their trained farmers through agro-trade fairs and similar activities for which the needed resources may be taken from their annual allocation for agriculture development;  4) as participating LGUs at the provincial and municipal levels, designate FSTP coordinators who shall comprise the FSTP Management Team of the province; and,  5) As model LGUs, organize the FSTP Management Team to be responsible in the conduct of Replication Inception Workshop.

SECTION 4. Funding.  Funds needed to carry out the provisions of this Executive Order shall be sourced from and made part of the regular budget of the key agencies involved like DA, DAR, and DENR.  They shall provide not less than 2 percent of their annual budget allocated for RDE Programs for FSTP Operation.  The said amount shall be remitted to the FSTP National Center for the operation and management at the UPLB College of Agriculture, through an appropriate legal instrument such as a Memorandum of Agreement, and shall be deposited in a government bank at Los Banos, Laguna (MOA).  UPLB shall also provide at least P1M funding assistance in kind (manpower, facilities, etc.) annually for FSTP operation.

DA as the lead agency shall provide a supplemental budget of at least P200,000.00 annually to each participating province and municipality involved in the program as counterpart fund to start and sustain the operation of FSTP.

Fund utilization/disbursements by any an all concerned agencies shall be subject to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations.

SECTION 5. Separability Clause.  Any portion or provision of this Executive Order that may be declared by competent courts as unconstitutional shall not have the effect of nullifying other provisions hereof, as long as such remaining provisions can still subsist and be given effect in their entirety.

SECTION 6. Repealing Clause.  All rules and regulations, other issuance or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Executive Order, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 7. Effectivity Clause. The Executive Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in a national newspaper or general circulation.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 27th day of February in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Eight.


By the President:

(Sgd.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary