Climate change is real and nowhere is its impact more perceptible than in agriculture. This puts the Philippines, primarily an agricultural country, among the countries most vulnerable to climate change.
To “outsmart climate change” and help make the Philippine agriculture sector and the agri-food system climate-resilient through technology, research, and innovation, the Philippines Partnership for Sustainable Agriculture (PPSA) and the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), with the support of PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications, recently held a multi-stakeholder forum which highlighted digital apps and tools for climate action, as well as research initiatives on climate action in the Philippines.
Photo shows participants of the PLDT, Smart, SEARCA and PPSA multi-stakeholder forum highlighting research initiatives and digital apps and tools for climate action in the Philippines.
Jointly organized by the Learning Alliance and Digital Agriculture working groups of the PPSA the “Kapehan” session was held at the Smart Tower in Makati City, attended by representatives from local and global organizations, embassies, academe, and public and private institutions from the agriculture sector.
“A fundamental part of our drive to support local farmers and boost their livelihood is identifying technology-based solutions to the challenges they face, including climate change. We are pleased to work with the PPSA and its esteemed members, to advance tech-enabled agriculture solutions that will make our farmers climate-resilient,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.
PPSA is a multi-stakeholder platform engaging over 160 partner organizations through Communities of Practice or Working Groups, including PLDT and Smart, to harness the collective strength of agricultural value chain players to help transform food systems to become climate positive and inclusive, resilient and sustainable through market-driven solutions.
PLDT, Smart, SEARCA and PPSA representatives present the pledge board symbolizing their commitment to work together to help the agriculture sector outsmart climate change. From left to right: Ma. Angela Bautista, Country Director of the PPSA; Dr. Gerlie Tatlonghari, Research and Thought Leadership Department Head of SEARCA; Cathy Yang, FVP and head of Group Corporate Communications at PLDT and Smart; and Stephanie Orlino, AVP and head of Stakeholder Management, also at PLDT and Smart.
“We are glad that more and more organizations like SEARCA, PLDT and Smart now recognize the critical role of agriculture in the country’s progress and its contribution to the Philippine economy. We commend the Learning Alliance and Digital Agriculture working groups of the PPSA for providing this platform to share knowledge and digital technologies on climate action. We hope that through these sharing sessions, we can explore partnerships that will turn these research and innovations into solutions that can be applied to the agriculture sector,” according to Ma. Angela Bautista, Country Director of the PPSA.
PLDT and Smart, which lead the Digital Agriculture working group of the PPSA, have been actively collaborating since 2019 with the likes of the Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Training Institute, the agricultural offices of local government units nationwide, other like-minded organizations from the private sector, and social enterprises to empower the Philippine agriculture sector, particularly farmers, through technology and innovation.
The PLDT group’s engagement with the PPSA is a key part of its Livelihood advocacy, which seeks to usher farmers and other marginalized sectors into the digital economy through technology. This also underscores the PLDT group’s commitment to help the country achieve UN SDGs 1 No Poverty and 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.
