The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Tourism (DoT) have signed a wide-ranging memorandum of agreement aimed at transforming farm tourism and tightening the link between food production and the country’s expanding travel industry.
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. formalized the partnership on Monday, February 16, committing their agencies to align programs, infrastructure, and promotions to position the Philippines as a leading food and gastronomy destination in Asia.
The agreement anchors itself on existing national policies, including the 1987 Constitution that mandates state support for agriculture through research, technology, financing, and marketing assistance; the Tourisms Act of 2009 that promotes agri-tourism and countryside development; the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016 that declares farm tourism a key strategy for sustainable rural growth; and the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 which tasks the DA with modernizing agriculture and fisheries to raise incomes and productivity.
Under the agreement, the agencies will coordinate on expanding farm tourism destinations, promoting Filipino cuisine, and integrating agricultural priorities into tourism planning. A central feature is the alignment of Farm-to-Market Road projects with tourism circuits under the Tourism Road Infrastructure program to improve access to farms and emerging destinations while strengthening logistics for producers.
Tiu Laurel described the agreement as a structural intervention for agriculture. “This is not simply about adding tourist stops to farms, a visit that could even spur greater investment the farm sector,” the DA chief said. “It is about creating stable institutional demand for local produce, encouraging value adding, and integrating agriculture into the broader services economy.”
“When hotels and restaurants source consistently from Filipino farmers, we stimulate rural investments, generate employment, and expand economic activity beyond primary production,” Tiu Laurel added.
He noted that linking agriculture to tourism also incentivizes higher standards in quality, food safety, and sustainability, positioning local producers to compete in premium markets.
A Joint Technical Working Group will oversee implementation, draft work plans, and coordinate stakeholders from both sectors. The agreement provides that each agency will shoulder its own costs, underscoring a convergence model built on coordination rather than pooled funding.
Officials said the initiative aims to turn culinary acclaim into a nationwide development strategy, where farm productivity, infrastructure, and tourism growth reinforce one another.
