Across many agricultural regions in the Philippines, some smallholder farmers are beginning to adopt technology, but many still depend on traditional selling methods, with limited access to information, digital tools, or market opportunities. This digital divide limits their growth, income, and long-term sustainability in the agriculture sector.

Bridging this gap, the PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF), together with PLDT, Inc. and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) turned over a FarmTech training kit to the Kapampangan Development Foundation Inc. (KDFI), a long-time partner organization of PSF committed to uplifting the livelihoods of farmers in Pampanga.

FarmTech is a portable training package designed to equip farmer organizations, especially in remote communities with the access, tools, connectivity, and content for training their own members on digital agriculture. Each kit includes 10 smartphones, a trainer’s tablet, a Smart Bro Pocket WiFi with started load, a portable projector, speaker, and mic, and curated learning materials on agriculture.

FarmTech is one of the components of the Digital Farmers Program (DFP), the award-winning digital inclusion program of PLDT and Smart with the Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI). Launched in 2019, DFP provides Filipino farmers with access to digital literacy trainings, digital tools, connectivity support, and other agricultural services. These offerings are aimed at enhancing their technological capabilities, improving farming practices, and attracting youth to join the agriculture industry.

“We see our farmers not just as producers, but as entrepreneurs with the potential to grow and lead in their communities,” said Ma. Esther Santos, President of the PLDT-Smart Foundation. "FarmTech is one of our ways of investing in that potential, giving them access to knowledge and tools that can change their future.”

“This is a big step forward in making sure our farmers are not left behind in this fast-changing world,” shared Ms. Sylvia Ordonez, representative of KDFI. “We’re thankful for the support of PSF, PLDT and Smart in providing tech-enabled solutions to transform agriculture.”

Through this partnership, KDFI will undergo a series of Trainers’ Training sessions on the DFP modules to prepare for its upcoming training cascade. FarmTech will play a key role in this effort, serving as a vital tool that KDFI can use to deliver digital literacy trainings to its farmer members, especially those in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

This effort underscores PSF’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 1: No Poverty, Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.