The Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, National Commission on Culture and the Arts, and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples officially signed a Joint Memorandum Circular relative to the recognition and registration of nationally important agricultural heritage systems (NIAHS), thereby promoting its dynamic conservation and sustainable management on 10 March 2023 at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.

Provision of specialized and appropriate packages of interventions, incentives, and benefits particularly to the IPs/local communities through existing programs, projects, and strategies of national government agencies are among the stipulated guidelines in the draft JMC.

The said JMC was crafted through the project titled, Dynamic conservation and sustainable use of agro-biodiversity in traditional agro-ecosystems of the Philippines or the Agrobiodiversity project funded by Global Environment Facility grant and collaboratively implemented by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research.

Representing Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, Assistant Secretary for Regulations Atty. Paz Benavidez officiated the signing ceremony together with the respective officials of partner agencies.