Residents of California Garden Square in Mandaluyong City are the latest recipients of PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc.’s (Smart) #PlantSmart kits, part of the Group’s technology-based solutions, helping communities grow their own food.
During the most recent installment of PLDT Home’s Fiber Talks series held at the Mandaluyong residential condominium, the PLDT Group, together with Rafael Lardizabal Pagaling, founder of Zennor Hydroponics Farm, shared the basics of urban gardening, particularly soilless farming, a method ideal for residents of high-rise condominiums with limited space.
“A core PLDT mission is to use technology and innovation to help solve the country’s challenges, including food security. We are happy to share these #PlantSmart kits to encourage communities to learn more about innovations in urban gardening to help secure their own food. We will continue to create programs and innovations that will promote good health and livelihood,” said PLDT and Smart AVP and Stakeholder Management Head Stephanie V. Orlino.
The half-day training session conducted by the Group and Zennor Hydroponics Farm focused on the basics of hydroponics and provided kits for residents to jumpstart their home-based gardens. The start-up #PlantSmart hydroponic kits contained rock wool, easy-to-grow vegetable seeds, clay pebbles, nutrient solutions, and Kratky containers. In addition to the talk, the participants can continue their learning journey by going online and watching #PlantSmart’s twin initiative called 'Kalye Mabunga', a ten-episode web series on planting fundamentals and techniques.
Pagaling, a valued partner of PLDT and Smart, recognized the important role of innovation and technology in pushing for a higher level of farming. “From powering the smart devices in our farms, to allowing us to access our mobile app, our heaters, our cooling and watering systems, and CCTVs—a good internet provider like PLDT Home is key. Our connectivity enables us to control and monitor the conditions of our greenhouses, and allows us to be more efficient and productive,” said Pagaling, whose hydroponics farm has been recognized as the Best Microgarden at the recently concluded Search of the Best Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Garden 2024 of the Department of Agriculture.
"To help feed the growing population of the Philippines and the rest of the world, I believe that smart farming is the wave of the future. We need to continue to embrace innovation and technology to grow more, to yield more, and ultimately, to feed more,” Pagaling concluded.
Since 2021, PLDT and Smart have been partnering with various organizations to promote technology-based solutions for sustainable gardening, enabling communities with knowledge and skills.
The initiative is part of PLDT and Smart’s Livelihood advocacy and the Group’s continuing drive to promote innovation across sectors including agriculture and sustainable farming. This also emphasizes the PLDT Group’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2: Zero Hunger, and SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.
