Findings from the project “Developing Policy Coherence Impact Indicators for Food and Nutrition Security (PCI2FNS)”, supported by the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies, identified six key indicators for measuring policy coherence in FNS. These indicators include: 1) institutional mechanisms, 2) inter- and intra-departmental coordination, 3) participatory processes, 4) consultation and coordination, 5) financial resources, and sustainability. A central insight from the study emphasizes that policy coherence must be examined within specific contexts to reflect governance realities and ensure action coherence. 1 The continuation of the PCI2FNS project is imperative to realize its potential in strengthening local food and nutrition security policies. While key indicators were successfully identified, it is necessary to refine and apply them at the provincial level to ensure validity and reliability. Furthermore, advancing this work is critical not only to deepen the evidence base but also to equip local agencies and institutions on how to design coherent and sustainable policies aligned with the FNS landscape.

This proposal derives from the findings of the previous UP CIDS-funded research projects entitled, Agritourism-Food Security Nexus: The Case of Palawan led by Assistant Professor Maria Theresa M. Castro and Leveraging Cooperatives to Improve Food and Nutrition Security: Evidence from Oriental Mindoro, Philippines led by Dr. Karen Q. Custodio. This study highlights the crucial role of cooperatives as institutional mechanisms for strengthening food security. These organizations operate across multiple nodes of the food system, advancing availability, access, utilization, and stability. Their embeddedness in local communities connects household livelihoods with collective well-being, reinforcing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of food security.

However, cooperatives face significant challenges that limit their full potential, particularly in market engagement. Market and branding weaknesses persist due to limited brand visibility, unmet volume requirements, weak product development, and poor communication between producers and buyers. Financial constraints further hinder growth, with cooperatives facing limited access to capital and bureaucratic hurdles in securing credit. Collaboration gaps also exist, as many cooperatives operate in isolation with minimal inter-cooperative partnerships or collective initiatives. Lastly, inadequate support mechanisms, such as mismatched training programs and insufficient technical expertise, limit their capacity to respond effectively to market demands and innovation opportunities.

One significant market opportunity exists for farmers is by linking them directly with the tourism sector, especially those municipalities with weak or underdeveloped farm-to-market programs. Tourism acts as a robust demand generator for local agricultural products. Farmers themselves describe tourism as a “significant support” to their livelihoods, providing a “sure market” that “speeds up product turnover” and adds to household income (Castro and Custodio, 2025). Through tourism, farmers can sell directly to tourists, by passing traditional intermediaries and potentially weak farm-to-market infrastructure, leading to better profits and more equitable access to consumers. The presence of tourists directly increases demand for fresh produce, such as vegetables, fruits, and rice, which can also lead to higher prices and new livelihood opportunities for farming families. 

The potential of integrating agriculture and tourism is formally recognized by the Philippine government through the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016. This Act aims to leverage the sector as a catalyst for agri-fishery development and to improve economic food access, demonstrating a clear commitment to fostering this linkage. This policy framework provides a foundation for developing structured programs and support systems that facilitate farmers’ access to tourism markets. Therefore, linking farmers to tourism stakeholders creates direct and alternative market channels that can effectively circumvent the limitations posed by overly strict government standards, logistical bottlenecks, and weak farm-to-market programs. This symbiotic relationship not only boosts farmer incomes and livelihoods but also encourages agricultural diversification, enhances product quality, and contributes significantly to strengthening local food systems and overall food security.

Building on these insights, the present proposal aims to examine the agritourism value chain and identify practical mechanisms through which small-scale producers can be more effectively integrated into the sector. Specifically, the project seeks to map the current landscape of the agritourism value chain in selected study areas and to identify effective practical mechanisms, including inclusive business models, that facilitate the integration of small-to-medium scale producers into the agritourism chain. The study further aims to assess the contributions of these mechanisms to the multidimensional food security pillars among small-to-medium-scale producers engaged in the agritourism sector. Results are expected to suggest evidence-based policy and/or development programs for key stakeholders (government agencies, tourism establishments, and producer organizations) to foster more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable agritourism value chains that benefit small-scale producers and enhance local food security.

This project focuses on policy coherence of Food and Nutrition Security along the Food Systems Framework in the Philippines. By policy coherence, it is defined by the OECD as ‘the systematic promotion of mutually reinforcing policy actions across government departments and agencies to create synergies towards achieving agreed objectives (https://www.oecd.org/governance/pcsd/). Policy coherence is reflected and emphasized in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 for a more systemic approach in mobilizing different sectors and stakeholders towards achieving SDGs. Malnutrition requires an integrated action across sectors, in all dimensions of the food systems, and requires multi stakeholder and multisectoral approaches (FAO, 2013, p.2-3).

In 2019, the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction conducted a workshop to map out the Research and Development Agenda of Food Systems in the Philippines. One of the key findings is “There is research and current data on food and nutrition situations in the Philippines but the food system approach still needs to be integrated into the research agenda.” A number of research and reports highlighted the value of integrating food and nutrition to the food systems concept in order to address issues on equity, nutrition, and sustainability (Simmance et al., 2022; Jiménez et al., 2022; Amparo et al., 2017; Davila et al., 2018; FAO, 2013).

This policy research aims to examine the integration of food and nutrition security along the food system framework in selected areas of the Philippines. Specifically, it aims to: (1) analyse the Philippine national and local food and nutrition security policies along the food systems framework in terms of alignment of objectives, interventions and indicators used; and, (2) determine the views and perceptions of stakeholders in the interrelationships of food and nutrition security across the food system and their sectors’ roles in these intersections and integrations.

In the 2020 report on the Philippine chronic food insecurity (CFI) of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC, 2020), food utilization and food access were found to be the major limiting factors of food insecurity in 79% of the 71 provinces in the country. Specifically, the increase in food retail prices, low purchasing power of the poor, and poor road networks (to traverse villages and farms) were some of the issues that tend to reduce the quality and quantity of food consumed by local households. For many provinces, factors relating to livelihood strategies, recurrent risks such as natural disasters, and financial capital are among the key reasons identified for experiencing poor food access and utilization (IPC, 2020). In addition, social capital and policy and institutional processes were also found to contribute to the food access and utilization problems in about 58% of the provinces included in the IPC chronic food insecurity classification.

This project will explore how cooperatives can be leveraged as an effective institutional mechanism for addressing the underlying factors of food insecurity in the country particularly the issues on economic and social access to food (whereas food utilization will be examined in Project 3).

The project seeks to examine the role of cooperatives in addressing the constraints to and inequalities in food access in the Philippines using the case of Oriental Mindoro – a province reported to have moderate CFI level and where 60% of its population were chronically food insecure (IPC, 2020). Specifically, it seeks to:

1. 1. Describe the role of cooperatives in fostering a more equitable distribution of and access to adequate, affordable, safe and nutritious food;
   2. Determine the effect of cooperative membership of producers, traders, retailers and consumers on community and household food access in the province;
   3. Analyze the policy mechanisms that support food security initiatives of cooperatives and other community-based organizations in the province; and
   4. Draw lessons and suggest recommendations for improving food security in Oriental Mindoro and the Philippines.

In the Northern Philippines, and even in the whole country, the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) remains the top producer of highland vegetables  like cabbage, carrots, and potato, among others (PSA, 2023). In terms of food availability, Glow foods are in abundance in CAR. However, there seems to be supply management issues for vegetables in this major producing region which could have affected the availability and accessibility of these food items in many parts of the country. An in-depth understanding and analysis of CAR’s vegetable value chain is therefore seen as important if a stable supply of vegetable in the country is to be ensured. This, coupled with a detailed analysis of the state of food and nutrition security and their determinants within varied ecologies would provide valuable information which can be used as sound basis for policymaking for assured food and nutrition security in the country.

The main objective of the proposed study is to analyze the existing food value chains for food and nutrition security within the context of Pinggang Pinoy and under three different types of communities in the Northern Philippines. Specifically, it will:

1. 1. Characterize the households in the three different types of communities in the Northern Philippines taking Benguet as the major source of assorted highland vegetables;
   2. Analyze the role of Benguet suppliers and the different operators in the segments within the food value chains in the different communities;
   3. Assess the critical areas in food value chain governance in the study areas;
   4. Determine the product and geographic flows of the commodities within the food value chain in the different communities;
   5. Evaluate the role of food value chain in the achievement of food security through the different dimensions under the conditions inherent in the different communities;
   6. Determine other actionable specific areas of concern to ensure that every member of each community is food and nutrition secure; and
   7. Craft policy recommendations that will support the actionable specific areas of concern for promoting food and nutrition security in the selected areas and those that are similarly situated.