Pursuant to Section 7 of Republic Act No. 10068 otherwise known as “Organic Agriculture Act of 2010” and its Implementing Rules and Regulations, the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS) hereby issues the following guidelines for the selection of non-government members of NOAB.

I. SCOPE

This guideline provides information and prescribes the rules and regulations for the selection of NOAB members from the small farmers, non-government organizations, and private sector or agribusiness firms.

II. DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this Order, the following definitions as stated in RA 10068 Implementing Rules and Regulations, shall apply:

Agribusiness firm refers to various businesses involved in organic food and non-food production, including farming and contract farming, inputs supply, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales

Non-Government Organization (NGO) refers to any non-profit, voluntary citizens’ group which is organized on a local, national or international level. It is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. In the cases in which NGOs are funded totally or partially by governments, the NGO maintains its non-governmental status by excluding government representatives from membership in the organization.

Small farmer refers to natural persons dependent on small-scale subsistence farming and fishing activities as their primary source of income and/or whose sale, barter or exchange of agricultural products do not exceed a gross value of One Hundred Eighty Thousand pesos (PhP 180,000.00) per annum based on 1992 constant prices; Provided, that the small farmer holds and cultivates not more than 3 hectares of agricultural land.

III. REQUIREMENTS

These are the basic requirements stipulated in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 10068:

A. Small Farmers

The representative shall be a member of a duly registered (and/or recognized by any government agencies) farmer organization, cooperative, federation and/or coalition organized for the purpose of promoting and practicing organic agriculture. One representative each shall come from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. All small farmer representatives must always belong to different organizations or associations, a coalition of which shall be treated as one organization for purposes of this prohibition.

B. Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)

NGOs nominating a representative must be duly registered, nationally representing the NGO interests with proven track record for at least three (3) years on sustainable agriculture.

C. Private Sector or Agribusiness Firms

A representative from the private sectors or agribusiness firms must be predominantly engaged in organic farming, processing, trading of organic inputs and products.

IV. PROCESS OF SELECTION

A. The nomination of the small farmers, NGOs, and private sectors or agribusiness firms shall be done through a broad consultation with the stakeholders in the three major islands of the country. Nomination shall also be done through direct submission of nominees to the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards.

B. In addition to the requirements stipulated in Paragraph III, the nominated organizations, shall be required to submit the following documents in order:

a. Organization’s letter of intent (specify the category for nomination; if in the small farmer category, further specify the island wished to represent)

b. Organizational/firm profile

i. name of organization
ii. office address
iii. office contact numbers
iv. mission statement (if applicable)
v. brief history of the organization
vi. area of influence/operation
vii. organizational structure
viii. list of members (specify names, address, and contact numbers)
ix. affiliations (specify name of the association, office address, and contact numbers)
x. source of funding

c. Proof of period of advocacy on sustainable agriculture/organic agriculture d. List of programs, projects, and activities on organic agriculture for the last three (3) years and documentations.

e. Proof of the organization’s legal personality (e.g. SEC registration, CDA registration, etc.)

f. Representative’s bio-data and short curriculum vitae (no longer than one page or 500 words focused on his/her involvement in the organic movement)

C.  An evaluation team, which membership shall be drawn from the agencies/organizations enumerated below, shall be created to assess the documents submitted and to shortlist the nominees. For further validation, the evaluation team may conduct panel interview of the nominees.

a. Bureau of Agri. & Fisheries Product Standards, DA - Chair
b. Bureau of Plant Industry, DA - Vice-Chair
c. Agricultural Training Institute, DA - Member
d. Bureau of Agricultural Research, DA- Member
e. Bureau of Animal Industy, DA - Member
f. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, DA - Member
g. Non-government Organization/private sector representative

D. The evaluation team shall shortlist three nominees for each category except for the Small Farmers Category in which a total of nine (9) nominees shall be chosen; 3 for Luzon, 3 for Visayas and 3 for Mindanao.

E. The shortlisted nominess shall be submitted to the Office of the Secretary for selection
and apppointment.


V. CRITERIA FOR THE SELECTION
 

Sustainable/efficient OA Programs, projects, activities	25
Area of influence/operation	15
No. of members	15
Affiliation/Linkage	15
Years of advocacy	10
Source of funding	10
Representative’s competence	10
TOTAL

This Order shall take effect immediately.


Adopted: 22 March 2011


(SGD.) PROCESO J. ALCALA
Secretary