Bukidnon Farmers Benefit From Digital Agricultural Tools Provided by PLDT and Smart

​Farmers from the Sto. Niño Organic Rice Farmers Association (SNORFA) in Simaya, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, now has access to digital farming tools through a FarmTech training kit provided by PLDT, Smart, and the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute.

​Rice farmer and SNORFA President Wilmar Ompoc shared, “Previously, transporting equipment to farming communities was challenging. With the FarmTech kit's portable and rechargeable projector, sound system, and other tools, training our fellow farmers on digital tools will be significantly easier.”

FarmTech is a comprehensive training package meant to improve digital literacy among farmer organizations and agri-coops in distant places. The package contains a tablet, ten cellphones, a SmartBro pocket WiFi with Smart Prepaid load cards, an outdoor projector and screen, a rechargeable portable sound system, a flash drive with multimedia resources and apps, and DA-ATI-created learning materials.
 
“Through our partnership with DA-ATI for FarmTech and the Digital Farmers Program (DFP), we hope to enable the digital transformation of farmers all over the country, to build a truly digitally-enabled agriculture sector,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart. FarmTech, a fundamental component of the DFP, enables farmer groups to educate more farmers about digital agricultural applications. The DFP, launched in 2019 in partnership with DA-ATI, is part of PLDT and Smart's efforts to promote inclusive technologies that improve livelihood prospects for farmers across the country. In Mindanao, FarmTech kits were distributed in Buluan, Maguindanao del Sur, and Digos, Davao del Sur.

“Smartphones and digital applications are very important to help with farming and agriculture. As our association president and a technology trainer, I am very thankful to DA-ATI for the DFP trainings and to PLDT and Smart for providing us with the FarmTech kit,” Ompoc added.

With the extension of their integrated fixed and wireless networks across the country, PLDT and Smart's efforts to enhance the digital economy demonstrate the Group's commitment to the government's broader digitization push. This also demonstrates its dedication to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, notably Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).