In the Global Forum on Food and Agriculture(GFFA) in Berlin, Germany, Philippine Digital Agricultural Map was featured to over 100 Agriculture Ministers gathered to discuss the digitalization of agriculture for greater efficiency and productivity.
According to the facebook post of Department of Agriculture Secretary, Manny Piñol, the digital color-coded agricultural guide map conceptualized by President Rody Duterte when he was still Mayor of Davao City.
Further, the report stated that “The Philippines presented its experience on digitalization through the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP). It is a World Bank and Philippine Government funded project which uses digital technology and drones for geo-tagging and aerial mapping”.
Consequently, when Secretary Piñol presented the program before other Agriculture Ministers during one of the sessions of the GFFA 2019, a sense of joy and fulfillment were felt by him. He realized that a simple idea which then Mayor Duterte discussed with him would now become a model for digital agriculture which other countries could learn from.
PH Digital Agricultural Map
The National Color-Coded Agriculture Guide Map (www.farmersguidemap.gov.ph) is one of the technological instruments used by the PRDP. It is used in the implementation of the program along with the Expanded Vulnerability and Suitability Assessment (E-VSA), the Applied Geo-Tagging Technology (AGT) and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
According to Piñol’s report, www.farmersguidemap.gov.ph provides farmers access to very important information on the type of soil he has in his village, the kind of crops suitable to his area and the hazards and risks he must watch out for.
Moreover, President Duterte discussed his idea to Piñol, way back when he was still the president. Duterte noted that many of the country’s farmers do not even know the type of soil they have in their farms. They also do not know other factors like climatic conditions which would affect their productivity.
To date, NACCAG is expected to protect the farmer from the expensive and time consuming experimental planting in his farm.
How does Digital Agricultural Map works?
By typing farmer’s Region, Province, Town and Barangay in designated boxes in the website, the farmer will get the list of crops suitable for his village. This is also helpful to people who plan to cultivate various crops on their place yet do not have idea on suitable crops in their area.
Thereafter, farmer has the option to determine where in his barangay he could plant a specific crop by clicking any of the listed crop, like Cacao or pineapple.When he does that, the interactive map will be layered with several colors indicating where the crop could be ideally grown which would be shown by the color Green and where it is not advisable to plant as shown by color Red.
More interestingly, a map showing sources of water and the depth of water level in his area, including weather forecasts through a link which will bring him to the PAGASA website, can also be accessed by the farmers.
Aside from this agricultural digital application, there are more apps that are made to improve agriculture sector. ( see post here Revolutionizing agriculture through agri application software)
Reported by Department of Agriculture Secretary, Manny Piñol
Source:
DUTERTE DIGITAL AGRI MAP FEATURED IN BERLIN MEET