For Arlene Lopez, a farmer in the Cagayan Valley region, selling produce once meant relying on walk-in customers at her small store. Today, she uses social media and e-commerce platforms to reach more buyers, nearly doubling her monthly income to as much as ₱20,000. Lopez is one of more than 100 farmers in the region—many of them women—who are now harnessing digital tools through the Scaling Up Sustainability (SUS) project of the Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA), in collaboration with PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart).
Another farmer, Maureen Blancad, once relied solely on local markets to sell her produce. Through the SUS project, she learned branding and digital marketing techniques that tripled her daily earnings. Today, Blancad and Lopez not only enjoy higher incomes but also serve as mentors, sharing their knowledge with fellow farmers and inspiring more women to embrace digital technology.
Funded by a GlobalGiving grant in partnership with Corteva, the mentorship sessions focused on practical skills such as content creation, branding, and online selling. This curriculum is a core component of the Digital Farmers Program (DFP), PLDT and Smart’s flagship digital inclusion in agriculture program with the Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI). Through DFP, farmers gain tools to improve product visibility, build confidence, and explore new markets.
Lopez urged her peers to view online selling as dignified work while reminding them to stay vigilant against scams. “Ituloy po natin ang pagbebenta online dahil ito ay marangal na trabaho. Basta huwag lang po tayong manloko at huwag din po tayong magpapaloko sa kapwa natin” (Let’s continue selling online because it is honorable work. Just don’t deceive others, and don’t let yourself be deceived either), she said.
PPSA’s SUS project, together with the DFP, is opening new opportunities for farmers and micro-entrepreneurs in underserved areas. These efforts support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth by enabling inclusive participation in the digital economy.
PLDT and Smart remain committed to expanding the reach of the Digital Farmers Program, ensuring that more farmers—especially women—can thrive in a technology-driven future.
