THE University of Asia and the Pacific's (UA&P) Center for Food and Agri Business, and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) will convene the Food and Agribusiness Forum at PLDT Hall, Pasig City, on Friday, Jan. 30.
Titled "Harnessing Economies of Scale: Consolidation Pathways for Philippine Food and Agribusiness," the event will bring together agribusiness executives, policymakers, farmer group leaders, researchers and development agencies to chart a collective response to the country's deepening farm-size fragmentation.
SEARCA Director Mercedita Sombilla said the forum's core purpose is to raise awareness of consolidation's strategic value, showcase proven models, foster multi-stakeholder collaboration and push policy reforms that enable smallholders to reap economies of scale.
The backdrop is stark: the 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries reports that the average Filipino farm has shrunk by 53.4 percent — from 1.7 hectares (ha) in 2012 to just 0.79 ha in 2022 — creating a landscape of tiny, isolated plots that struggle to access credit, technology and modern inputs.
This fragmentation not only erodes productivity but also limits market power, leaving many rural families trapped in low income cycles. By spotlighting consolidation, the forum aims to reverse this trend, transforming dispersed fields into integrated value chains that can compete both locally and globally.
Three panel sessions will dissect consolidation from complementary angles.
"Competing at Scale: Building Productivity and Market Power" will examine how larger, coordinated operations can drive efficiency, attract financing and adopt cutting-edge technologies, ultimately strengthening the Philippines' position in domestic and export markets.
"Models of Agribusiness Consolidation: Pathways for the Philippines" will compare contract growing, block farming, nucleus estate systems and government-led programs such as the Farm and Fisheries Clustering and Consolidation, or F2C2 initiative, drawing lessons from both local pilots and international case studies.
"Impact of Consolidation: Successful Cases and Key Players" will feature real world examples of value chain integration, quantifying socioeconomic benefits for smallholders and identifying the actors — cooperatives, private firms, nongovernmental organizations — that make these models work.
The forum also marks the second installment of a four part series that tackles the strategic pillars of Philippine agricultural transformation: digitalization, consolidation, diversification and industrialization.
Opening the day, Sombilla will deliver welcome remarks, followed by a keynote address from Bernardo Villegas, cofounder and professor at UA&P. Their combined leadership signals a strong institutional commitment to bridging research, policy and on the ground practice.
Beyond the panels, networking sessions will enable participants to forge partnerships — farmers can connect with agribusiness investors, researchers can share data with policymakers and development agencies can align funding with high impact consolidation projects.
The expected outcome is a set of actionable recommendations that will feed into national agricultural modernization plans and potentially shape future legislation on land use, credit access and market infrastructure.
As the country grapples with shrinking farms and rising food demand, this forum offers a timely platform to turn challenge into opportunity. By uniting diverse voices around a common goal, making Philippine agriculture more competitive, inclusive and resilient, Sombilla said the UA&P SEARCA collaboration could become a catalyst for a new era of scaled, sustainable farming.