Gov’t plots satellite-driven farm overhaul

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is turning to satellite technology to modernize farm and fisheries management, as it pushes precision agriculture to boost food production, improve irrigation planning, strengthen climate resilience, and speed up disaster response.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. outlined the initiative during a strategy meeting with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), where the agencies discussed expanding the use of satellite data across the agriculture sector.

A key priority is flood mapping to identify where rainwater naturally accumulates to allow excess water to be stored for irrigation instead of flowing into rivers and the sea.

“Every drop of water we save is another opportunity to increase production and reduce our dependence on imported food,” Tiu Laurel said on Wednesday. “If we understand where floodwaters naturally go, we can turn a recurring problem into a valuable resource for irrigation.”

He said satellite data could help the government replicate canal systems similar to those used in Vietnam, allowing rainwater to be stored and redirected to farms during dry months.

To support the initiative, Tiu Laurel said the agency will deploy about 1,000 personnel nationwide by year-end to validate satellite data on the ground.

Likewise, the DA also wants to expand satellite monitoring beyond rice and corn.

PhilSA’s DigitalAgri Project already tracks farm-to-market roads, corn and onion production, while the DA is seeking similar monitoring for vegetables such as carrots and cabbages to help anticipate oversupply and stabilize farmgate prices.

The agencies are also exploring satellite monitoring of crop pests and diseases, drought, floods, soil moisture, greenhouse gas emissions, and water quality in Laguna de Bay to help detect pollution linked to recurring fish kills.

On top of these, they are also studying satellite-based mapping of fishing grounds that could provide free information on productive fishing areas, wind conditions, and ocean currents.