In line with the thrust and priorities of the Department of Agriculture towards a food secure and resilient Philippines with prosperous farmers and fishers, the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) implemented a value-creating strategic shift called the Innovative Consultation on Agriculture and Fishery Policy Reforms and Engagement, also known as iCARE Program.
It has four key strategies namely: expanded value chain-oriented membership, action-oriented policy delivery, AFC affiance to sectoral impact linkages, and result-based organizational development.
These strategies entail:
- A commodity value chain membership which will be evidence-based, audited & expanded;
- AFC re-orientation on improving productivity & profitability paving the way for the emergence of business councils;
- An A&F action-oriented policy service delivery to ensure reflexive policy recommendation, M&E & feedback;
- Fostering functional ASB links to align ASBs’ cohesive dialogues and impact focused coherence with the industry, banner programs and sectoral connectivity; and
- Inspiring a result-based organizational development with an improved MFO interface, and expanded absorptive capacity.
To operationalize the iCARE Program, the following service brands were pursued:
We Collaborate with Networks of Agriculture & Fisheries Stakeholders to Unify and Lead Transformation
This service brand provides and facilitates a hassle-free, innovative and exciting consultation process for government agencies and their private sector stakeholders to come up with relevant and responsive policy recommendations with the end goal of leveling up the Philippine Agriculture towards Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita.
The initiative concentrates on the delivery of action-oriented policy services through the facilitation of consultations and dialogues between and among agriculture and fishery stakeholders via the AFCs.
As we level up under the “new thinking” in agriculture and fisheries, PCAF transitions from the conventional face-to-face meetings to blended or even pure virtual consultations to ensure the safety and convenience of its volunteer-partners and stakeholders.
We Transform Results into Actions through Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing
This service brand prescribes a diverse set of methodologies that look into the implementation of DA plans, programs, and policies as well as the conduct of participatory monitoring and tracking of policies and DA-funded projects, constructors’ performance evaluation, accreditation and classification of A&F machinery suppliers, and evaluative and policy studies.
It establishes a sustainable monitoring, evaluation and knowledge management system for tracking progress and demonstrating results of the iCARE Program and ensuring evidence-based decision making.
We Advance Voices and Choices in the A&F Sector Towards Empowering Enterprises
This service brand ensures a broad representation of stakeholders across the different commodity value chains. It focuses on the expansion of AFC membership as well as fostering functional AFC links.
It also seeks to revitalize participatory mechanisms and processes through the recruitment and engagement of new value chain business-oriented and youth organizations as part of the consultative and policy advisory bodies of the DA.
WeAdVoCATE endeavors to develop and maintain an updated PCAF consultative partners’ profile and membership database for reference of the DA, other national government agencies, House of Representatives and Senate and other oversight committees and stakeholders.
Under We AdVoCATE services, PCAF also leads the DA accreditation of civil society organizations which can be tapped to serve as possible partners in the implementation of DA’s programs and projects.
We Institutionalize and Nurture Systems and Processes for Integrated and Reliable Management
This service brand ensures the effective implementation of the iCARE Program by strengthening the PCAF organizational and consultative structures. In the process, we seek to provide support services, critical in the effective functioning of the other three service brands to inspire a results-based organizational development.
Through the WeINSPIRE services, support to operations and general administration such as planning and programming, knowledge management, human resource development, and financial management shall be recalibrated and enhanced to instill organizational planning culture, nurture client-focused, high performing teams, strengthen fiscal management and leadership, and expand agency absorptive capacity.
It also ensures alignment of all support functions to the needs and requirements of the agency operations, thereby achieving excellence at PCAF’s major final output and program accountability report cards.
The iCARE WeACT and We INSPIRE pave the way for PCAF to refocus its programs, projects and activities towards the attainment of its MFO, under the Agriculture and Fishery Stakeholders Engagement Program, that contributes to the overall organizational outcome of attaining an enhanced agriculture and fisheries stakeholders’ participation in policy development.
