Incomes rise for farmers through project Sarai

SMART, with the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DAATI), is modernizing agriculture through the digital farmers’ program or DFP.

The ladderized capacity-building program was launched in 2021 and aims to enable smallholder farmers to use the internet and different mobile technologies to improve livelihood by training 400 farmers and youth partners from 27 communities across the country.

After the successful rollout of the DFP 101 basic course that benefited more than 1,500 individuals since 2019, farmers are now expanding income opportunities by applying skills developed from DFP 102, using more sophisticated digital farming tools and skills.

“With the use of agri apps discussed in the course, I can stop pests like stem borers and black bugs from wreaking havoc on our crops. This has resulted in better yields for us, even doubling our harvest,” said Geomar Avila, a 21-year-old college student who still finds time to tend to their farm in San Agustin, Agusan del Sur.

The course trains farmers to use the Spidtech application developed by smarter approaches to reinvigorate agriculture as an industry in the Philippines (Project Sarai).

Using the phone’s built-in camera, farmers can identify, manage, report, and monitor pests and diseases of major Philippine crops.

The DFP 102 also develops e-commerce skills so farmers can effectively market their produce using social media, and at the same time, manage online transactions and digital payments like PayMaya.