Article 144Labor and Agrarian Laws and Social Legislation, p. 144

LABOR LAWS AND SOCIAL LEGISLATION SPECIAL LAWS AND IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS

develop their skills, acquire productive employment and

contribute to their communities to the fullest of their

capabilities.

To ensure the efficient use and sustainability of land,

water and other productive resources, the State shall

ensure

that

ecological

balance

and

environmental

protection are maintained and observed in its pursuit of

rural development goals.

In pursuance of this policy, the State shall recognize

the right of small farmers and farmworkers, as well as

cooperatives and independent farmers' organizations, to

participate in the planning, organization, management

and

implementation

of

agricultural

programs

and

projects especially through the bayanihan spirit. It shall

support

agriculture

through

appropriate

policies,

research,

technology

and

training,

and

adequate

financial,

production,

marketing

and

other

support

services to enhance agricultural productivity. In addition,

it shall provide incentives and reward systems to small

farmers so as to accelerate agricultural productivity and

to

promote

self-sufficiency

and

full development of

agricultural potentials.

SECTION 3. Scope of Application . — This Act shall

cover all small farmers and, to the extent herein provided,

the

departments,

offices,

agencies,

subdivisions

or

instrumentalities of the National Government.

SECTION 4. Definition of Terms . — For purposes of

this Act, the term:

(1) " Small farmer " refers to natural persons dependent

on

small-scale

subsistence farming as their primary

source of income and whose sale, barter or exchange of

agricultural products do not exceed a gross value of One

hundred eighty thousand pesos (P180,000) per annum

based

on

1992

constant

prices.

An

inter-agency

committee composed of the Department of Agrarian

Reform, the Department of Trade and Industry, the

Department of Finance and the National Economic and

Development Authority and headed by the Department

of

Agriculture

may

conduct

periodic

review

and

adjustments of the income level to take into account the

effects of changes in inflation, devaluation and consumer

price index;

(2)

" Farmers'

organization "

refers

to

farmers'

cooperatives, associations, or corporations duly registered

with appropriate government agencies and which are

composed

primarily

of

small

agricultural

producers,

farmers,

farmworkers,

and

other

agrarian

reform

beneficiaries

who

voluntarily

join

together

to

form

business enterprises which they themselves own, control

and patronize;

(3)

" Small

agricultural

producer "

refers

to

any

self-employed individual who, by himself or with his

family, provides the primary labor requirement of his

business enterprise or one who earns at least fifty percent

(50%) of his gross income from the payment, proceeds or

income of the labor he provides;

(4)

" Production

infrastructure "

refers

to

farm-to-market

roads,

irrigation,

rural

electrification,

ports, drying areas, public sites, warehouses and other

physical

facilities

used

for

productivity

enhancing

services,

extension

management

assistance,

training,

research and development;

(5) " Pre-harvest activities " include, but are not limited

to, seedbed and land preparation, planting, weeding, pest

and

disease

control,

fertilizer

application,

water

management and harvesting;

(6) " Postharvest activities " include, but are not limited

to, threshing drying, milling, storing and handling of

produce and such other activities as shelling, stripping,

winnowing, chipping and washing;

(7)

" Extension

services "

refers

to the technology

transfer

provided

by

the

Government

and

nongovernment organizations to the agricultural sector

such as training of farmers, credit assistance and the like;

(8)

" Transportation infrastructure " includes roads,

bridges,

ports,

airports,

and

the different modes of

transportation using these infrastructure;

(9) " Pre-harvest facilities " include, but are not limited

to, plows, harrows, tractors, rotavators and sprayers;

(10) " Postharvest facilities " include, but are not limited

to, threshers, moisture meters, dryers, weighing scales,

milling equipment, storage facilities, buying stations,

market infrastructure and transportation facilities;

(11) " Market infrastructure " refers to facilities such as

market buildings, slaughterhouses, holding pens and

cold storage used by the farmers in marketing their

produce;

(12) " Input subsidy " refers to assistance extended by

the Government to the farmers in terms of discounted

prices of farm inputs such as fertilizer, pesticide and seed;

(13) " Agrarian reform credit " includes production or

other types of loans used for the acquisition of work

animals,

farm

equipment

and

machinery,

seeds,

fertilizers, poultry and livestock feeds and other similar

items;

acquisition

of

lands

authorized

under

the

Comprehensive

Agrarian

Reform

Law

(CARL);

construction or acquisition of facilities for the production

and effective merchandising of agricultural commodities;

(14)

" Price

subsidy "

refers

to

the

payment

of

Government of an additional amount for every unit of

output sold by the farmers in the open market;

(15) " Farmworker " is a natural person who renders

service value as an employee or laborer in an agricultural

enterprise

or

farm

regardless

of

whether

his

compensation is paid on a daily, weekly, monthly or

pakyaw basis;

(16) " Upland farming " refers to planting of upland

crops which usually require less water than other crops,

as in non-irrigated and elevated farm areas;

(17) " Rural bank " refers to banks duly organized under

Republic Act Numbered Seven hundred twenty with

authority to operate under existing laws;

(18) " Cooperative bank " refers to banks whose owners

are farmer's associations or cooperatives;

(19) " Private development bank " refers to the banks

duly

organized

under

Republic Act Numbered Four

thousand ninety-three with authority to operate under

existing laws;

(20) " Banks " collectively used, means the rural banks,

cooperative banks, and private development banks as

defined in paragraphs 17, 18 and 19, Section 3 of this Act;

(21) " Irrigated lands " are agricultural lands which are

supported by irrigation services;

(22) " Non-irrigated lands " are agricultural lands which

lack irrigation systems and are usually rainfed;

(23) " Certified seed " refers to seeds that passed the

seed

certification

standards

of the Bureau of Plant

Industry

and

which

are the progeny of foundation,

registered or certified seeds that are so handled as to

maintain satisfactory genetic identity and varietal purity;

(24) " Good seed " refers to seeds that are the progeny

of certified seeds so handled as to maintain a minimum

acceptable level of genetic purity and identity and which

is selected at the farm level;

(25)

" Cooperative "

refers

to

a

duly

registered

association of persons, with a common bond of interest,

who have voluntarily joined together to achieve a lawful

common

social

economic

end,

making

equitable

contributions to the capital required and accepting a fair

share of the risks and benefits of the undertaking in

accordance

with

universally

accepted

cooperative

principles;

(26) " Integrated Pest Management (IPM) " refers to a

pest

management system which utilizes all suitable

methods and techniques in as compatible a manner as

possible to maintain the pest population at a level below

© Compiled By RGL

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