MANDATE
The Department of Agriculture is the principal agency of the Philippine government responsible for the promotion of agricultural development and growth. In pursuit of this mandate, it provides policy framework, helps direct public investments, and in partnership with local government units (LGUs) provides the support services necessary to make agriculture and agri-based enterprises profitable and to help spread the benefits of development to the poor, particularly those in the rural areas.

MISSION, OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES
The Department's primary mission is to increase the real incomes of farmers and fisherfolk, thereby contributing to the achievement of the national goals of alleviating poverty, generating productive opportunities, fostering social justice and equity, and promoting sustainable economic growth.

Corollary to this mission are the following objectives:

• To help ensure food security and support the national effort toward self-sufficiency in rice and corn;
• To help attain a favorable balance of trade by enhancing the competitiveness of the agricultural and fishery sector in both domestic and foreign markets;
• To support the development of farmer and fisherfolk organizations; and
• To promote the development of labor-intensive and employment-generating agro-industrial enterprises.

In the pursuit of its mission and objectives, the Department adopts the following principles:

• Private sector enterprise shall be encouraged to promote the efficient allocation and effective utilization of resources, consistent with the objectives of equity and social justice.
• The maximum participation of the people in the development process shall be encouraged since development proceeds only through the favorable interaction of all sectors.
• Development shall be promoted compatible with the preservation of the ecosystem in areas where agriculture and fisheries activities are carried out, exerting care and judicious use of natural resources in order to attain long-term sustainability.
• Sound agricultural growth shall be pursued as the foundation for industrial development.

FUNCTIONS
In fulfilling its mandate and mission, the Department performs the following functions:

1. The creation of a policy environment conducive to increased incomes in agriculture. The DA actively advocates for the adoption of policies supportive of long term-sustainable growth in the sector as well as for the repeal or amendment of policies, which impede such growth.
2. The provision of agriculture and fishery infrastructure support (i.e. irrigation facilities, farm-to-market roads, fish ports, etc.) to encourage private sector investments in agriculture and fisheries.
3. The generation, verification, and dissemination of information relevant to productivity and development. The Department undertakes research and development programs, which (i) strengthen the linkage between research and extension; (ii) develop and broaden the adoption of low-cost productivity-enhancing production and processing technologies; (iii) identify and promote the sustainable use of resource capabilities; and (iv) assess commodity markets and conditions and prospects.
4. The production, testing, and dissemination of superior plant and animal germplasm. In support of private sector initiatives, the DA develops, produces and distributes superior crop varieties and breeds of livestock and fish suited to Philippine conditions, focusing on the extension, demonstration, and provision of parent stock and fish juveniles.
5. The facilitation of market access and the promotion of agro-based enterprises. The Department assists agricultural producers and agribusiness men, particularly low-income farmers, in processing and marketing their produce, linking them with processors and buyers, helping forge marketing agreements, and facilitating access to the international market. Moreover, it assists agricultural entrepreneurs in availing of financing by directing them to possible sources and by expanding credit guarantee and insurance facilities.
6. Regulation. The Department is mandated to exercise regulatory control over agriculture-related areas and concern. The exercise of this control is conducted for the following objectives:

• To prevent the over-exploitation of resources to ensure their long-term productivity;
• To protect the health and safety of the populace;
• To prevent and/or contain the spread of plant, fish and animal pests and diseases;
• To prevent manipulations in the markets of staple agricultural commodities and inputs;
• To protect domestic agricultural producers from unfair competition of imports made cheap through subsidies by exporting countries;
• To implement international commodity agreements which the Philippines has acceded to; and
• To ensure the quality of Philippine agricultural exports and increase their share in the world market.

7. Implementation of empowerment programs to provide access to the benefits of development to groups, which have been disadvantaged due to inequitable distribution of resources of market failures.