ZamPen SIVI Farms Achieve Historic Certification Milestone
The Zamboanga Peninsula reached a groundbreaking agricultural milestone last month as six vegetable farms across the region earned Philippine Good Agricultural Practices (PhilGAP) certification with 100% ratings.
This achievement marks a significant victory for the Sustainable Intensification through Vegetables Intercropping in Perennial Crops Farming Systems in Zamboanga Peninsula, Mindanao Island, Philippines (ZamPen SIVI) project, which seeks to transform regional agriculture through innovative farming practices and quality standards.
Most notably, Zamboanga Sibugay recorded its first-ever PhilGAP certifications, with two pioneering farms establishing new benchmarks for the province. Both farms are engaging in vegetable production on land that was already being used for perennial crops. Good Production Lingatan Farm cultivates several types of vegetables amid coconut, coffee, and banana trees, while Ai-Lab Vegetable Farm grows a variety of vegetables among coffee, coconut, banana, and fruit trees.
Proving the Value of the Intercropping Model
The ZamPen SIVI project’s core objective is to demonstrate that vegetable intercropping within perennial crop systems can meet rigorous quality standards while maximizing land productivity. All six PhilGAP-certified farms successfully integrated vegetables among coconut, cacao, coffee, banana, and various fruit trees.
The certification provides additional recognition that, with a sustainable intensification approach through intercropping, farmers need not choose between diversification and market access.
Regional Impact
Elsewhere in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga del Norte now hosts two farms—SIVI Farm and Tamil Bridge Garden—that are the only active PhilGAP-certified vegetable operations in the province, while Zamboanga del Sur expanded its portfolio of quality producers to include Baniqued’s Farm and Dam Resto Farm.
The certifications were completed through final assessments conducted on 11–13 November 2025 by the Department of Agriculture – Regulatory Division Region IX and the Bureau of Plant Industry. All six farms achieved perfect ratings, demonstrating that the ZamPen SIVI project’s technical support and training effectively prepared farmers for the certification process.
PhilGAP certification provides access to institutional buyers, premium markets, and stable partnerships that support improved incomes. As the project’s first wave of certified farms, these six operations have set a high standard for other farmers in the peninsula.
The ZamPen SIVI project is implemented by EWS-KT with co-funding from the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Republic of Korea (ROK) Cooperation Fund (BKCF).
