The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has committed P609 million to scale up a high-tech agricultural initiative aimed at increasing crop yields and farmer profitability across the Philippines.
The four-year investment will fund the nationwide expansion of Project SARAI, or Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry. DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. announced the rollout Friday during the opening of the project’s new regional hub in Palo, Leyte.
Solidum emphasized that the program, which officially began its current phase in late 2025, is designed to modernize the sector by moving scientific research out of the lab and directly into the fields.
He noted that technologies are only effective if they are applied, stressing the goal of increasing farmer profits through the adoption of smart systems.
The newly established Leyte hub will serve as a central data point for farmers in the region, providing site-specific crop advisories, localized weather forecasts, and early warning alerts for pests and diseases.
Among the tools being deployed are a mobile application for digital pest and disease identification known as SPIDTECH and a water-balance system called WAISS that helps farmers schedule irrigation more efficiently.
The program also utilizes automated weather systems for real-time climate data and provides training for farmers and local government units on using drones for rapid data collection and crop monitoring.
The DOST plans to establish similar regional hubs across the country over the next four years to ensure that small-scale farmers have access to the same technological advantages as industrial agricultural operations.