The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) signed a historic Memorandum of Agreement with the Provincial Government of Cebu for the insurance coverage of over 50,000 marginalized farmers and fisherfolks as part of the latter’s Integrated Farming Systems Development (IFSDP).

The IFSDP is an exceptional initiative of the Province of Cebu to provide comprehensive agricultural support in terms of financing, provision of farming and fishery outputs, technical advice, insurance coverage, and training to farming and fishery communities in all the cities and municipalities iin the province of Cebu. The objective is to enchance agricultural and fishery production and mitigate the negative impact of climate change via insurance coverage to the farmers and fisherfolks. Per Governor Garcia: “The farmers and fisherfolks are the most vulnerable to climate change and first to be affected by natural calamities and last to recover.”

The MOA between PCIC and Province of Cebu was signed on 12 April 2011 at the Cebu International Convention Center between PCIC President Jovy C. Bernabe and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia. The witnesses include PCIC Director David M. Villanueva and Cebu Provincial Board Member Alex S. Binghay who concurrent Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture.

Under the IFSDP, the planned insurance coverage will not only cover the usual crop and livestock, but will also include high-value crops, fishponds and artificial reefs (payaw). The historic undertaking will be considered a best practice in PCIC-LGU partnership with the intent to replicate similar agreements in many other provinces in the Philippines.