Operations manual

2THE I-PLAN COMPONENT

The I-PLAN Component of the PRDP involves the strengthening of the planning and budgeting processes of the DA by enabling the national and regional AFMPs to be the main rationalizing element for priority setting, resource allocation and support service delivery.

2.1Objectives

The main objective of the I-PLANlan Component of the PRDP is to strengthen the framework and linkages for the delivery of devolved but integrated agriculture and fishery services by the national and local government units through the institutionalization of the AFMP as the basis for the rationalization of DA plans and budgets.

Specifically, it aims to:

1. 
   Strengthen the Department of Agriculture’s planning, programming and budget execution processes supportive of AFMP implementation;
   
2. 
   Improve the delivery of support services to provinces implementing agriculture and fishery projects from the value chains and subprojects prioritized in the PCIP.⁵
   

2.2Expected Outcomes and Outputs

Enhancing the AFMP Planning Process. The   corresponding expected outcome is that the AFMP effectively becomes the basis for rationalizing, prioritizing, and coordinating investment and support service delivery by DA Central technical agencies and RFUs. Through the I-PLAN the PRDP aims to achieve the intermediate results in the form of agreed-upon Provincial Commodity/ies Investment Plans (PCIPs) based on the regional AFMPs and national AFMP.
Table 2 summarizes the expected outcomes resulting from a well-implemented I-PLAN:

Table 2. Expected Outcomes and Outputs per I-PLAN Activity
Major Activities	Inter-related Processes & Outputs
	Improving the DA planning and budgeting process	Enhancing the Plan outputs
Crafting, piloting and finalization of the OM	Operations Manual for I-PLAN, covers prioritization of commodities, conduct of VCA, PCIP preparation, and N/RAFMP iteration using science-based tools and methodologies, i.e., VSA, E-VSA, RMA, and considering the principles of PRA-RSA, etc.	*Provincial Commodity/ies Investment Plans (PCIPs)
Conduct of briefing and orientation on the OM to RFUs and bureaus, attached agencies, attached corporations		*Enhanced Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plans (RAFMPs)
Coaching and provision of technical support to RFUs in their planning activities i.e. training on planning and Climate Change tools and methodologies, workshops on PCIP preparation & RAFMP iteration, mapping		*Enhanced National AFMP
Stakeholders consultation for the plan outputs
Conduct of joint planning and budgeting workshop at the regional level	Work and Financial Plans reflecting commitments of bureaus, attached agencies, and attached corporations to the RFUs	Harmonized / integrated annual plan and budget proposals
Conduct of various workshops/ consultations and refinements on the systems and procedures	Enhanced DA systems and procedures: *e-planning & budgeting *Results-based M&E *MIS with geo-tagging *Planning & Budgeting Manual
Continuing monitoring and evaluation of annual plans and budgets	Continuing updating of National and Regional AFMP	Successor AFMP

The use of various assessment tools such as the RMA, VSA and E-VSA shall be done at the national and regional levels with the participation of the concerned stakeholders to generate the commodity priority list. Value chain analysis (VCA) and studies shall be prepared for the priority commodities, the result of which shall be the basis for the preparation of the Provincial Commodity/ies Investment Plan (PCIP) and interventions to be provided support by the PRDP. Figure 2 shows the inter-relationships among the major outputs and inputs.

As a result of the enhanced planning process using science-based tools, the DA-RFUs particularly through the PRDP shall allocate its resources to eligible interventions that have been identified through the VCA and included in the PCIPs. In the PRDP, completion of the 80 PCIPs is targeted in Year 2. The PCIPs of provinces where new commodity/es and/or products line/s need to be supported based on new VCAs conducted shall be updated during years 3 to 6 of the Program.

The PCIPs shall form part of the enhanced regional and the national AFMPs. As a result of the improved planning process, a DA Planning and Budgeting Manual and Guidelines shall be followed and be the basis for the integrated planning and budgeting in year 3 (20165) of the PRDP. Likewise, the crafting of the successor AFMP shall commence in 2016.

Figure 2. I-PLAN Framework

Figure 2 further illustrates the relationship of the I-PLAN component with the other components of the PRDP, i.e., the I-REAP, the I-BUILD, and the I-SUPPORT.⁶ The Provincial Commodity/ies Investment Plan is the major output of the I-PLANlan Component; it will be the principal basis for the I-BUILD and I-REAP interventions.

Figure 2. Interplay of PRDP Components

The I-BUILD or the Intensified Building Up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development involves the setting up of a flexible menu of public good infrastructure that are strategic and climate-resilient, while the I-REAP or Investments for Rural Enterprises and Agricultural and Fisheries Productivity will develop farm and fisher households into enterprise units to contribute to the national goals of modernizing agriculture, improving rural incomes and generating agri-based jobs. On the other hand, the I-SUPPORT or Support to Program Implementation ensures the provision of technical and capability building services to identified beneficiaries and at the same time sees to it that all interventions in the implementation of the PRDP are synchronized, coordinated, integrated and synergistic.

GEF Support. The following selected biodiversity and/or international waters are Program target areas that will simultaneously be covered in the next five years:

1. 
   Tayabas Bay in Quezon Province (Region 4A),
   
2. 
   Southeast Iloilo, Guimaras Province (Region 6),
   
3. 
   Guian Coast, Eastern Samar Province (Region 8),
   
4. 
   Danajon Bank, Bohol Province (Region 7),
   
5. 
   Donsol-Ticao-Burias Pass, Albay, Sorsogon & Masbate Provinces, Bicol (Region 5),
   
6. 
   Green Island Bay, Palawan Province (Region 4B).
   

All of these project sites have been listed as priority conservation areas in the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). The Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) also recognizes these sites as major coastal and fishery resource areas.
As a policy, the GEF financed activities within each GEF target area will be concentrated in close proximity to areas where priority commodity value chain interventions are to be implemented in order to better integrate sustainable ecosystem management. Hence, marine protected areas (MPAs) would be selected for GEF financing based on both their distance from commodity intervention areas, their global biological significance and where local demand for improved management effectiveness is high. The types of activities supported at each GEF target area would be adaptable based on regional and local needs. In certain cases, where an MPA does not exist close to commodity intervention areas, the GEF financing could assist with the MPA establishment as long as significant community support exists. As well, there might also be cases where fisheries co-management outside of the MPA boundaries would be the most beneficial for local small holder producers and therefore, GEF financing would be allocated accordingly.