Fifty-five-year-old farmer Edgar Villanueva from Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, strongly believed in traditional farming methods — practices honed through years of working the soil providing food for Filipinos.
But as technology started to reshape agriculture, Edgar realized that there was more to learn.
Initially, he was hesitant to embrace digital tools. Today, he uses technology to check market prices, reach potential buyers, research farming practices, and make more informed decisions for his farm.
Edgar was one of the first farmers to join the Digital Farmers Program (DFP), an initiative led by the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) in partnership with PLDT and Smart, in coordination with the Provincial Government of Davao del Sur-Office of the Provincial Agriculturist and the Municipal Agriculture Office.
A farmer from Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, uses digital technology to enhance his cacao-growing knowledge through the Digital Farmers Program.
Through the program, he learned to trust technology, and discovered how it complements his knowledge and experience. With confidence, he can now monitor conditions that affect yield, such as weather patterns and soil health, identify suitable fertilizers, and conduct online research on best practices for crops.
“Through the DFP, I now know how to reach more buyers online,” Edgar shared. “Before this, finding customers was difficult, especially for small-scale sellers like us.”
With access to online market information, Edgar can now compare prevailing prices for his banana, cacao, and coconut products and make better-informed decisions. With his learnings extending to farm management and financial literacy, Edgar is now looking to purchase another laptop to help manage inventory and move sales tracking from paper to digital. For someone once hesitant to embrace technology, this was a significant shift.
“DFP guided me successfully despite the lack of face-to-face instruction and despite my age,” he added.
The results have strengthened Edgar’s confidence in his small farm, as coconut sales have nearly doubled since they began applying the digital methods and insights learned through the program.
A bountiful harvest of cacao pods from a farm in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur is ready for processing.
“We at PLDT and Smart advocate for digital inclusion especially in the agriculture sector and together with DA-ATI, we aim to empower farmers to thrive in the digital economy through the Digital Farmers Program. We are hopeful that this program will help improve the lives and livelihoods of more farmers around the country,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Engagement at PLDT and Smart.
Today, his farm is an accredited Learning Site for Agriculture under DA-ATI. Together with other members of the Kiblawan Multi-purpose Cooperative and DA-ATI’s FarmTech training package, Edgar shares his learnings about technology, helping others in the agricultural sector gain confidence in modern farming.
Edgar’s story shows how digitalization can complement the farmers’ knowledge and experience, opening access to information, markets, and opportunities for growth.
An integral part of the PLDT Group’s #KonektedforLivelihoods program, which upskills farmers and MSMEs on mobile technology and digital tools and platforms, the DFP has reached around 9,000 farmers through its core training activities conducted by DA-ATI, and more than 5,000 through DFP-related learning sessions, webinars, and partner engagements led by PLDT and Smart. Together, these efforts have brought the program’s broader reach to over 14,000 agri-stakeholders since 2019.
These efforts highlight the PLDT Group’s ongoing support for the government’s overall digitalization thrust. This initiative also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal No. 1 (No Poverty) and Goal No. 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
