RULE V RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT OF MARGINALIZED SECTORS SECTION 23 Food Security and Productive Resources The State recognizes the contribution of women to food production and shall ensure its sustainability and sufficiency, including in the context of climate change, with the active participation of women. Towards this end, the State shall guarantee, at all times, the availability in the market of safe and health-giving food to satisfy the dietary needs of the population, giving particular attention to the specific needs of poor girl children and marginalized women, especially pregnant and lactating mothers and their young children. The Department of Agriculture (DA), in coordination with other concerned departments, LGUs, and stakeholders shall: (a) undertake programs and gender- responsive; (b) fisherfolk and give them programs and projects; projects on food security that are recognize women as farmers and equal opportunities to participate in (c) ensure the active and direct participation of rural women's groups, other than Rural Improvement Clubs, in policy and program formulation, planning and designing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of DA programs at the local levels including, but not limited to, the rice master plan; (d) ensure that girl-children and women benefit from all DA programs; (e) ensure food safety by strengthening food management, control and regulatory systems, including provision of necessary facilities; and () promote community-based seed banking initiated and operated by women and barangay level sustainable resource management. LGUs shall formulate and implement a community-based food security plan that shall respect religious and cultural practices. he plan shall be integrated into the development plans of the LGUs to ensure that it is funded and implemented. Women's groups shall actively participate in planning and designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the plan. 86