by Catherine J. Teves
MANILA — The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is spearheading a study on rationalizing the process for converting land to non-agricultural uses.
"We must fix the decision-making process for this," DAR Undersecretary Jerry Pacturan said Wednesday on the side of the "Pilipinas Natin" Pre-SONA (State-of-the-Nation Address) Forum of the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Cluster of the Aquino Cabinet at the state-run National Broadcasting Network (NBN)-Channel 4 in Quezon City.
Pacturan said the study is needed since the DAR cannot continue solely deciding on applications for land conversion because changing an area's land use will affect the lives of people, including beneficiaries under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as well as the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Land conversion also raises environmental and food security concerns so that the decision-making process must be rationalized, he noted.
Environmental protection and food security are among the government's priorities while land conversion continues to be an agrarian reform issue.
Pacturan said the DAR, DENR and DA are already discussing the matter to fix rules and procedures needed for rationalizing the land conversion process.
Such agencies are partners in government's National Convergence Initiative (NCI) which aims to harmonize the initiatives of each and to maximize their respective available resources in order for the government to better promote development in target areas in the countryside.
"NCI is a good governance platform as initiatives of DAR, DENR and DA aren't replicated - we actually complement each other," Pacturan said.
He said the three agencies plan issuing a joint administrative order specifying the rationalized process for land conversion.
"We hope to come out with the order as soon as possible this year," he said.
He noted that available data show about 9,000 hectares of land in the country were already converted to non-agricultural uses.
"Parts of such total land were also converted from rice-growing areas to sites for producing other agricultural crops," he said.
The government disallows converting irrigated agricultural land to other uses.
DAR continues extending support to its agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) so they can be productive and help move the nation forward.
Such support includes teaching ARBs skills that'll enable them to undertake various livelihood activities.
"Poverty reduction is among our main targets," Pacturan said.
To help boost ARBs' livelihood bid, DAR also helps them identify crops and commodities most suited for production in their locations.
He said NCI's implementation is helping drive private sector interest in such entrepreneurial activities.
"There is also a growing interest among local government units concerned," he noted. (PNA)
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