The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) began a three-day training program Wednesday for local government officials to deploy “smart” agricultural technologies designed to shield Central Luzon farmers from climate change and global economic shifts.

The event, held at Widus Hotel, included the formal signing of a memorandum of agreement for the Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines (SARAi) project.

As part of the agreement, DoST-Central Luzon awarded automated weather stations to partner local government units to bolster data-driven farming.

Regional director Julius Caesar Sicat described agriculture as the cornerstone of the region’s economy but cited it is increasingly threatened by environmental pressures.