“Napakalaking tulong po para sa aming mga magsasaka ang pagkakaroon ng mga bagong kaalaman, lalo na tungkol sa digital farming.”
This was according to Ms. Loreta N. Abang, one of the farmers from Boac, Marinduque, during the third batch of the Digital Farmers Program (DFP) 101–102 Rollout conducted by the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) in MIMAROPA at Hotel Marinduque, Boac, Marinduque, on May 19–21, 2026.
The training aimed to equip farmers with essential knowledge and skills in using digital tools and agricultural applications to enhance their farming practices.
Mr. Erlan D. Pasana, OIC-ISS Chief; Mr. Michael Daven T. Jugno, Information Officer II; Mr. John Eric V. Arguelles, Technical Support Staff; and Ms. Alexies Jane O. Ola, Technical Support Staff, served as resource persons.
The training started with discussions on the overview of the DFP, Smartphone 101, internet access, mobile applications, internet safety tips, and basic agricultural applications such as AccuWeather, Payong Pag-Asa, and Windy.
The participants also learned more advanced topics, including social media marketing through Facebook Marketplace, e-Commerce platforms, and advanced agricultural applications such as Plant Doctor and SPIDTECH, as well as Maya for online payment transactions.
“Matagal na po akong nagtitinda ng mga gulay online, pero sa Messenger lang po dahil hindi ko alam na mayroon pa palang ibang mga platform na puwedeng gamitin. Malinaw at maayos po ninyong naipaliwanag ang mga teknik na maaari naming gamitin,” Ms. Abang shared.
In addition to the lectures, participants actively engaged in various workshops. With the guidance of the resource persons, they designed promotional materials, explored online courses through an e-learning platform, and created social media marketing plans as well as personal dream boards.
As support, ATI-MIMAROPA Center Director Pat Andrew B. Barriento encouraged the participants to apply what they had learned in their respective communities and to share their knowledge with fellow farmers to help improve productivity and income.
“Napag-usapan na po namin ng aking mga kasamahan kung paano namin ito maibabahagi sa mga magsasaka sa aming barangay. Siguro po ay maaari namin itong ibahagi sa mga asosasyon tuwing may mga pagtitipon upang mas marami ang makinabang,” Ms. Abang added.
A total of 35 farmers from Boac participated in the training.
