The Department of Agriculture (DA) is proposing a geofencing program to protect agricultural land from rapidly expanding solar power projects in a bid to strengthen the country’s food security.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said his agency is pushing to geofence around three million hectares of flat agricultural land, particularly rice-producing areas, to prevent them from being converted into solar farms.

Geofencing creates digital geographic boundaries around priority agricultural areas, offering renewable energy (RE) developers a clear guide on where projects should not be located.

“We need energy security, but it cannot come at the cost of food security. The country must be able to keep the lights on without putting at risk the land that keeps food on Filipino tables,” Tiu Laurel said in a statement on Monday, Aug. 31.

He noted that the plan aims to identify up to 2,000 flat rice lands for geofencing, ensuring they remain dedicated to agricultural production.

The DA added that this list of priority lands will be cross-checked against existing and awarded energy projects to prevent overlaps.

Tiu Laurel said the initiative was proposed during a recent meeting with Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin to address the balance between the country’s solar capacity expansion and food production.

Additionally, the DA is lobbying for a program that would allow farmers and fisherfolk to directly benefit from the ongoing RE transition through lower electricity costs.

Under this proposal, RE suppliers under the Green Energy Auction, Green Energy Option, and the Retail Competition and Open Access framework could connect directly with qualified agricultural end-users.

Potential beneficiaries include farms, fishponds, irrigation systems, post-harvest facilities, rice mills, cold storage plants, slaughterhouses, and other food production operations.

The DOE is currently examining how RE suppliers and distribution utilities can participate in the proposed initiative.

In the meantime, the DA and DOE are working to develop a farm-to-energy framework alongside the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to explore further ways organized agricultural groups can benefit from RE.

“The framework will help proponents under the agricultural energy category lower electricity costs, generate savings, and strengthen incomes across the sector,” said Agriculture Undersecretary Roger Navarro.

The DA announced it will sign a memorandum of agreement with the DOE in October to formalize the partnership and expedite the development of the recommended programs.

“Our goal now, for both the DOE and the DA, is to ensure that both of these pressing needs of Filipinos are addressed in a way that benefits the country without sacrificing one for the other,” Tiu Laurel said.