The Department of Agriculture (DA) highlighted the importance of integrating innovations and modern technologies in farm work, as this would not only increase efficiency and yield but would encourage the younger generation to pursue jobs in agriculture.

“If we look at the responsibility of the DA, it’s not only for food security, poverty alleviation, increasing the income of farmers — we have to see to it that we can pass the baton to the next generation, that they would be able to produce quality, affordable commodities,” DA Undersecretary Jerome V. Oliveros said Thursday on the sidelines of the Israel-Philippines Agrotech Innovation Forum in Makati City.

The average age of Filipino farmers is 56, according to PhilRice. Thus, Oliveros said, farming should be passed on to the younger generation who should be helped to perceive it as one of the best livelihoods.

“We want to promote farming as bankable. But then again for us to be able to do that we need to innovate,” he said.

Eleven Israeli agriculture technology companies visited the Philippines this week and presented various innovations for farming, including real-time field data, drip irrigation systems, and water use efficiency.

“These are the kinds of technologies that we wanted to bring here. We wanted to promote them because if they are practiced, the next generation will probably see that it’s not that hard. It’s a better way of doing things. It’s a better way of producing by adopting this technology,” Oliveros said.

Solar-powered irrigation systems

Moreover, Oliveros said, the DA is looking into establishing more solar-powered irrigation systems nationwide, as these are robust and cost-effective.

“In 2018, the LR Group of Israel started a solar water irrigation project in Lumban, Laguna. It’s called fertigation. Imagine that was in 2018. The secretary and I visited Lumban last February and we saw that project. Up to now it’s still running. It’s been there for more than five years. [It covers] about 30 hectares. So we want a lot of these solar water irrigation systems all over the country,” he said.