NextGen Day

According to an expert, small-scale farmers can embrace affordable technologies to join smart agriculture projects, while governments continue to invest in the essentials to accelerate smart agricultural transformation (SAT).

Roehlano Briones, a Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), said smart agriculture encompasses a wide spectrum of technology, some of which can be handled by small farmers.

“I’m putting up a sensor, a simple sensor that will interact with your smartphone, which is a simple, low-cost smartphone.” During a recent Asian Productivity Organization (APO) productivity talk, he said, “That one has a stronger possibility of early adoption.”

According to its website, the APO is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1961 with the goal of increasing productivity in the Asia-Pacific area through cooperation.

Briones cited the Philippines as an example, where the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) are working together to develop the Rice Crop Manager (RCM), a tool that gives farmers real-time scientific guidance.

“As a result, farmers can easily adapt to this” (to). They only need to be able to connect, which they can do now through digital services and mobile phones. Nothing will prevent farmers from taking advantage of this model of smart agriculture and not having to wait a month or two for an extension person to come out and assess their soil and advise them on the best fertilizer regime for their crop,” he said.

Briones also proposed that some farmers work on a better best management system, which uses drones and other automated scientific systems for pest control and is offered by a service provider.

“Instead of a single farmer, a group of farmers in a nearby area could use the service.” They agree to share this information and to use this service. Then they’ll collect the payment jointly, and the service provider can assist this group of farmers, for example, by forming a cooperative,” he explained.

“There are solutions like these or components of smart agriculture technologies,” he continued, “and I am optimistic that we will see more of these in the years ahead.”

Other technologies, according to Briones, may not necessitate such large-scale investments.

“It may be as easy as an improved version of a smartphone that can run a specific software for sensor-based analysis, or it could be as complex as the purchase of actual farm sensor-based analysis equipment.” This might be done on a farmer-by-farmer basis. “However, they must be persuaded,” he said.

Briones stated that governments must continue to invest not only in sophisticated technologies but also in the fundamentals of agricultural transformation in order to expedite SAT in APO member countries.

He mentioned traditional rural infrastructure as well as research and development (R&D).

“The better your logistics, the more e-commerce makes sense for farmers.” As an example of all of these things, as well as research and development, consider the extension system, which allows farmers to receive new products and services. To develop this new technology, intensive R&D is required,” he continued.

Briones also emphasized the necessity of investing in human resources in the rural workforce, as well as computer literacy and farmer and fisherfolk openness to new techniques.

“Ultimately, that is the key to smart agricultural change,” he stated.

Save/Share this story with QR CODE

---

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement of any specific technologies or methodologies and financial advice or endorsement of any specific products or services.

📩 Need to get in touch?

📩 Feel free to Contact NextGenDay.com for comments, suggestions, reviews, or anything else.

---

We appreciate your reading. 😊Simple Ways To Say Thanks & Support Us:
1.) ❤️GIVE A TIP. Send a small donation thru Paypal😊❤️
Your DONATION will be used to fund and maintain NEXTGENDAY.com
Subscribers in the Philippines can make donations to mobile number 0917 906 3081, thru GCash.
3.) 🛒 BUY or SIGN UP to our AFFILIATE PARTNERS.
4.) 👍 Give this news article a THUMBS UP, and Leave a Comment (at Least Five Words).

---

AFFILIATE PARTNERS

World Class Nutritional Supplements - Buy Highest Quality Products, Purest Most Healthy Ingredients, Direct to your Door! Up to 90% OFF.
Join LiveGood Today - A company created to satisfy the world's most demanding leaders and entrepreneurs, with the best compensation plan today.

---