In a landmark move to leverage the complementary strengths of the public and private sectors to achieve food security through improved farm productivity, Go Negosyo and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) have agreed to collaborate on agriculture, agribusiness, and mentorships.

DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion presented the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) formalizing the collaboration at the Agraryo Trade Fair Opening Ceremony last December 1, 2025 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

“We have to make farming profitable for even our small-holder farmers,” said Concepcion, as he explained that by helping farmers become agripreneurs, and with private sector’s help in achieving productivity, efficiency, and market access, the country can achieve food security. Concepcion is also pursuing agriculture and food security as one of the priorities of his chairship of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council in 2026 as part of its planned legacy program, the ASEAN Food Security Alliance.

The areas of collaboration include cluster farming, corporative farming, and land lease agreements.

Under Cluster Farming, smallholder farmers pool resources, share knowledge, and collectively improve productivity through grouping based on agronomic conditions, with defined roles for clusters and private sector partners. Clustering also helps aggregate produce for better market access and pricing.

Corporative Farming rests on strategic partnerships between a corporation and an agricultural cooperative, combining the corporate efficiency and standards with the cooperative’s inclusive approach. Under this arrangement, there are clearly defined roles and responsibilities, resource sharing arrangements, provision of farming inputs and infrastructure, training and technical assistance, facilitation of market access through produce aggregation and price negotiations, and arranging access to financial support. 

Under Land Lease Agreements, Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) will enter into land lease agreements with big-brother companies for the use of agrarian reform lands for agricultural development with clearly defined lease terms, duration, rental payments, and responsibilities.

The smallholder farmers will be supported by Go Negosyo under its Kapatid Angat Lahat sa Agri Program with access to resources, markets, and mentoring by integrating them into the value chain of large agriculture companies. 

At the same time, DAR is seen to facilitate access to agricultural lands for various farming initiatives, as well as partnerships between agrarian reform beneficiaries and the private sector to enhance productivity and sustainability. It will also provide the policy, guidance, and protection for farmers to have effective ownership and control of agrarian reform lands while promoting responsible private sector investments.

Under the agreement, the initiative will be overseen by a committee comprising an Executive Steering Committee, a Technical Working Group, and a Secretariat.

Food security has been identified as a priority of the Marcos government, along with the rebuilding of the food value chain, as a long-term solution to ensuring that the Philippines can afford to feed itself.