The Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Energy (DOE) in the Philippines are working together to establish boundaries between land allocated for power generation facilities and land reserved strictly for food production.

According to an update posted by the Philippine News Agency, the two departments will formalize their work through a memorandum of agreement targeted for signing in October.

DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has proposed the development of a digital geofence around three million hectares of flat agricultural land, and in particular flat rice-growing lands.

The digital geofence would establish boundaries around priority agricultural areas in order to guide energy developers as to where future solar energy projects can be built.

The plans coincide with the Philippines’ continued roll out of solar energy. The country has become one of the world’s leading hubs for solar panel imports in recent months as it deals with energy prices that have rocketed to among the highest in Southeast Asia. The country imported 4 GW of Chinese solar panels over the first four months of this year. As of July, a further 3 GW were heading to the country.

Earlier this year, DOE unveiled plans to hold four editions of its flagship green energy auction programme over the next two years as part of wider plans to auction 25 GW of renewables by 2035.

Last month, it announced an auction round that specifically targets agrisolar and projects integrated with aquaculture, otherwise known as aquasolar.

At the time, the department said that agrisolar and aquasolar installations can optimize abandoned, underdeveloped and underutilized land and water resources while supporting food security and rural livelihoods.

“By integrating renewable energy with agriculture and aquaculture, [the auction] aims to enable innovative projects that deliver clean power alongside sustainable farming and fishing,” the DOE said. The terms of reference for the specific auction are expected during the final quarter of this year.

The Philippines installed 899 MW of solar in 2025, according to figures published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), taking cumulative solar capacity to 3,892 MW.