The Manila Times | By Franco Jose C. Baroña | November 1, 2026
FARMERS’ groups and civil society advocates have called for fair farmgate prices, genuine agrarian reform and a review of agricultural trade policies they said hurt domestic producers, as they sought reforms to strengthen food sovereignty and climate resilience across Southeast Asia.
The demands were outlined in a declaration adopted during the Hapag ng Bayan: Asean’s People’s Gathering for Food Sovereignty and Climate Justice, organized by the Integrated Rural Development Foundation (IRDF) on Oct. 28 at the Quezon City Hall Compound.
The declaration called for stronger government procurement programs and pricing mechanisms that would ensure farmers receive fair returns above production costs, as well as measures to protect land rights and prevent the displacement of farmers and Indigenous communities.
It also urged the government to review and roll back agricultural tariff reductions and trade policies considered harmful to domestic producers, including measures affecting staple crops.
The gathering brought together more than 50 food sovereignty advocates, farmer, women and youth leaders who called for reforms to address food insecurity, rural poverty and the growing effects of climate-related disasters on agricultural communities.
The declaration also advocated expanding agroecological farming practices, supporting farmer-managed seed systems, reducing dependence on costly chemical inputs and developing cooperative-managed food terminals and direct farmer-to-consumer distribution networks.
It called for community-based food reserves and greater participation by farmers, fisherfolk, rural women and other affected communities in decisions on agricultural policy and climate action.
Participants also raised concerns over rising production costs, insecure land tenure, extreme weather and the growing influence of multinational corporations across agricultural supply chains.
Val Vibal of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice said addressing the climate crisis required examining agricultural production systems, land-use conversion and the economic structures shaping food production.
He called for a shift away from monocropping and industrial-dependent agriculture toward agroecological production, alongside stronger safeguards against environmentally destructive land conversion and extractive activities.
Jayson Cainglet, executive director of Sinag, meanwhile, discussed how multinational companies’ control over several stages of the food supply chain could weaken the position of independent producers and local enterprises.
The declaration called for stronger public oversight, cooperative marketing, fair agricultural prices and distribution systems that would connect farmers more directly with consumers.
The participants also proposed establishing an Asean Peoples’ Food Sovereignty Alliance to coordinate regional campaigns, facilitate exchanges on agroecological practices and promote food reserves based on solidarity rather than commercial competition alone.
The proposed alliance would seek to link urban consumers’ demand for affordable food with rural communities’ calls for fair farmgate prices, secure livelihoods and agrarian justice.
The forum was organized as part of the 2026 Asean Civil Society Conference/Asean People’s Forum, which brought civil society groups and community advocates together to discuss regional concerns.
The IRDF said its work with rice and coconut farmers, fisherfolk, rural women and marginalized communities informed its push for policies that recognize food producers as partners in building resilient food systems and sustainable rural economies.#