Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. on Wednesday urged closer integration between the country’s hydropower and agriculture strategies, saying water-based energy projects can simultaneously advance food security, rural development, and the Philippines’ long-term renewable energy goals.
Speaking at the 3rd Philippine Hydro Summit & Exhibition in Manila, Tiu Laurel said the country cannot meet its clean-energy ambitions—35 percent renewable energy by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040—without accelerating hydropower development, from run-of-river systems to pumped-storage facilities and micro-hydro installations.
But his message went beyond electricity. “Energy and agriculture are deeply interconnected,” he said, noting that irrigation networks, cold storage, fish landing sites, and food-processing facilities all depend on stable, affordable power. Hydropower, he argued, can anchor a “clean-energy countryside” where electrification and agricultural productivity rise together.
Tiu Laurel outlined several synergies: co-locating hydropower with irrigation systems; powering rural microgrids; strengthening agri-value chains through reliable electricity for storage and processing; and improving watershed protection—critical for both farm yields and long-term hydropower viability. Turning rivers and reservoirs into “sources of both power and prosperity,” he said, can help reduce postharvest losses and raise rural incomes.
Still, he acknowledged hurdles facing hydropower developers, including long permitting timelines, financing barriers, environmental safeguards, and overlapping mandates across water, land, and energy agencies. Sustainable hydropower, he emphasized, must ensure tangible benefits for farmers and host communities, “not just developers.”
To push integration forward, the Department of Agriculture committed to five actions: mapping irrigation and water assets suitable for hydropower; supporting agro-industrial zones powered by renewable energy; guaranteeing farmer participation and fair benefit-sharing in hydropower projects; improving infrastructure coordination between agriculture and energy agencies; and advocating for a unified national policy aligning food, water, and energy security.
Tiu Laurel said these efforts reflect a broader strategy: using renewable energy not only to meet climate goals but to “power the backbone of the rural economy.” He urged government, private developers, and communities to collaborate, stressing that hydropower can serve as a bridge between the country’s clean-energy transition and resilient food production.
