PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications teamed up with the Agricultural Training Institute to launch FarmTech to bridge the digital divide and empower farmers.
The tech-driven training kit equips farmer groups and cooperatives, even in remote areas, to educate their members on the benefits of technology in agriculture.
Receiving the very first FarmTech packages were two affiliate farm groups, Myriad Farms of Guimba, Nueva Ecija and Samahan ng mga Pangulo ng Magsasaka of Morong, Rizal.
Each FarmTech package includes a tablet, 10 smartphones, a Smart Bro Pocket Wifi with Smart Prepaid load cards, an outdoor projector and projector screen, a rechargeable portable sound system, a flash drive containing multimedia learning resources and apps and DA-ATI learning materials.
“There are a lot of apps and digital solutions we can tap and integrate into the DFP. With the help of PLDT and Smart, these can now reach the farthest corners of the Philippines,” said DA-ATI director Remelyn Recoter, adding that she is hopeful that FarmTech would play a key role in encouraging farmers to use technology in their livelihood.
Enabling the digitalization of farmers is PLDT and Smart’s integrated fixed and wireless networks across the country.
“We at PLDT and Smart continue to invest in our infrastructure to provide meaningful connections to Filipinos across the country, furthering our livelihood and digital inclusion advocacies, especially for the agricultural sector,” said Stephanie Orlino, assistant vice president and head of stakeholder management at PLDT and Smart.
“Hand-in-hand with our partners from DA-ATI, we hope to achieve our vision, which is to enable the digital transformation of farmer groups and agri coops all over the country, to build a truly digitally-enabled agriculture sector,” she said.