AgriTech experts believe that small-scale farmers should be able to adopt the latest and affordable technology-driven agriculture initiatives while their government speeds up investment in smart agricultural transformation (SAT).
This is especially true for small-scale farmers in the Philippines, wherein the agriculture sector needs a much-needed boost.
At an event of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) – an intergovernmental organization aimed at increasing productivity in the APAC region – research fellow Roehlano Briones of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) explained that smart agriculture spans varied technologies, some of which small farmers can handle. For instance, farmers’ mobile phones can be set up to communicate with a sensor.
Briones cited in a press release a case in which the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) developed the Rice Crop Manager (RCM), which supplied real-time scientific advice to farmers. Briones also suggested for farmers to work together on a smarter management system, such as that offered by a service provider that uses drones and similar scientific systems for pest control. Farmers in neighboring areas can share the system and share payments.
These would not need large-scale investment, a plus for poor Filipino farmers. Additionally, it can be done on an individual level. However, Briones said that they would “need to be convinced” as to the efficiency of these innovations.
To speed up SAT in APO member countries, governments must keep investing not only in sophisticated technologies, but also basic agricultural tools, like conventional rural infrastructure and research and development.
Since December 2021, 11 units of smart greenhouses were set up in the Jaro District in Iloilo City. These will provide a year-round supply of high-value crops to alleviate fears on food shortage amid the pandemic. The greenhouses are funded by the Korean government through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and costs P5.5 million (US$107,296). Each unit is priced at P500,000 (US$9,754).
However, an official clarified that it is not the same as hydroponics; it is more advanced. The facility does not need manual operation: the computer determines temperature and nutritional needs of the plants grown in it.
Briones stressed the importance of investments in human resources in the rural workforce, as well as in digital literacy and openness to new techniques. “That is ultimately the key towards smart agricultural transformation,” he said.
