The City Agriculturist Office (CAgro), through the Agricultural Biosystem Engineering Division, is strengthening the use of modern technology to enable precision agriculture.
Engr. Christan John Abrenica, head of CAgro’s Agricultural Biosystem Engineering Division, told the Madayaw morning radio program of Davao City Disaster Radio that through precision agriculture, the right amount of inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and water can be given to the crops.
“It is the right management at the right place and at the right time,” Abrenica said.
Abrenica said that the components of precision agriculture include the use of the Geographic Information System (GIS).
“Kaning sa GIS naa tay mga software na ginagamit para maghimo og mapa. Sa office, karon currently nagahimo mig mapa sa Davao city, mapa sa land cover crops kung unsa ang mga tanom sa Davao City with that pwede nato ma strategize kung unsa ang ibutang diha nga machinery or even irrigation [will be used] (For GIS we have a software that we use to create maps. As of the moment, we are currently making the map for Davao City, the map for land cover crops which shows the type of crops being planted here, and with that, we can strategize what kind of machinery or irrigation will be used),” Abrenica said.
He added that through maps shown during the recently held Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment, they can identify and track areas and the types of crops in flood or landslide-prone areas, enabling the preparation of mitigation strategies.
He added that their office has a handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) that helps record the location of crops and machinery for inventory and monitoring.
Sensors that detect soil moisture and temperature are also used to check the plot of land and its needs for planting.
Abrenica also mentioned the ” variable rate” technology, which is used with an application, as another modern farming tool that helps huge plantations to know which portion of their crop failed to grow well and helps focus the intervention in that area. He mentioned other available technologies that help farmers detect crop problems at an early stage.
Meanwhile, CAgro also uses a weather monitoring system that gives input about the weather and helps the office identify the best planting day for crops. They also have two drones that help capture photos to assess damage brought about by disasters.
Abrenica said that to request machinery from their division, the farmers may visit their nearest district offices.
He also encouraged the younger generation to be involved in farming because contrary to the stereotypical farming method, modern technology is now being used to make farming more efficient.
(Source: Madayaw Davao Facebook page)