Key takeaways
• As ASEAN leaders convene, PLDT and Smart share insights on how to help smallholder farmers move from access to sustained adoption
• Important to meet farmers halfway and bring technology, knowledge, digital solutions closer to them and their 'circle of trust' - community leaders, families, etc. - to make digital agriculture more sustainable
• Farmers' circle of trust can include younger members of the family - important to engage them and present agriculture as a modern and viable livelihood option for the next-generation of farmers
Technology infrastructure may be foundational to digital agriculture, but access and connectivity are just the beginning. In ASEAN countries, it is critical to meet smallholder farmers halfway and provide them not just internet and devices, but community-wide support that will help them sustain digital farming practices.
In the first episode of Grow Asia’s Digital Learning Series, PLDT and Smart representative Stephanie Orlino, Assistant Vice President and Head of Stakeholder Engagement, shared insights on how strong digital foundations, reinforced with trust, relevance, and continuity, are key to moving from access to sustained adoption among farmers.
“Technology is no longer the primary barrier. The challenge now is how to turn access into adoption and sustain it. Farmers adopt digital tools through people they trust, and solutions must be relevant to their everyday realities,” Orlino said in a fireside chat with Erika Balzarelli, founder and executive director of The Sustainable Smallholder.
Orlino put the spotlight on the Digital Farmers Program, PLDT and Smart’s digital inclusion program in agriculture in partnership with the Department of Agriculture -Agricultural Training Institute, which supports smallholder farmers through digital skills training, access to technology, and partnerships with other government and local organizations. The program’s community-based, farmer-centric approach has ensured that solutions are practical and easy to use.
In a fireside chat with Erika Balzarelli, founder and executive director of The Sustainable Smallholder, Stephanie Orlino, Assistant Vice President and Head of Stakeholder Engagement at PLDT and Smart, shared insights on how to sustain digital adoption among farmers.
“We found that when farmers are involved in co-creating solutions, they take ownership. This makes adoption more likely and more sustainable,” Orlino said. “Bringing digital skills closer to farmers, engaging their trusted communities, and designing with them rather than for them makes a meaningful difference.”
The discussion also touched on the role of technology in encouraging youth participation in agriculture. Orlino noted that digital tools can help reposition farming as a viable and modern livelihood option for the next generation.
“Technology can serve as the bridge between generations. By involving young people as digital partners to farmers, we help strengthen adoption today while building the future of agriculture,” she said.
The session forms part of the Smallholder Economic Empowerment through Digital Solutions (SEEDS) program, supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and comes ahead of the publication of Grow Asia’s forthcoming report, Accelerating Smallholder Adoption at Scale in ASEAN Strategic Pathways.
Recently, PLDT and Smart also represented the Philippine private sector in SEEDS’ “Digital Roots: Transforming Smallholder Agriculture Through Innovation” symposium held in Seoul, South Korea, where they shared insights from PLDT and Smart’s #KonektedForLivelihoods programs, which upskill farmers and MSMEs on mobile technology and digital tools and platforms, enabling them to scale and increase their incomes by up to 400%.
