Thirty-four farmers successfully finished their Digital Farmers Program (DFP) training at the Honorio Clemencia’s Farm, Balong, Tabuk City, Kalinga on July 16-18, 2024.
On day one, participants embarked on DFP 101, the first ladder of the program which focused on Smartphone 101, Internet Basics and Internet Safety, Phontography/Videography, and Content conceptualization.
Day two was on DFP 102 which focused on eCommerce, Digital Media Content, Social Media Marketing, Canva, e-Commerce Platforms, and the introductory part of Agri-apps.
The last ladder is DFP 103 which ultimately focused on Advanced Agri-apps and Smart Agriculture, Digital Entrepreneurship, and Drone Technology. For drone technology, Mr. Elpidio CD Colobong, Jr. of AgriDOM Solutions Corporation gave an extensive discussion on drone technology in agriculture emphasizing its features for rice production. The participants were also given an actual demonstration of the pre-flight preparations for agricultural drones, its basic physical features, and actual capacity for both fertilizers and pesticide application.
During the closing program, Mr. Rambel P. Omeccas, Youth representing Cabaruan, Tabuk City expressed that this is his first time attending training under ATI, and he appreciated this training since it brought out a lot of possibilities and opportunities for them and for the rest of the agriculture sector here in the locality. Also, Mr. Sheldon Clyde N. Dulatre, a trainer at Dumagay’s Farm located at Cawagayan, Pinukpuk, Kalinga said that the training made him realize that while “we are millennials there are a lot of things about technology which we do not yet know and which we still need to learn. We hope that this kind of training will continue as this will help more people, especially us farmers,” he exclaimed.
Lastly, Mr. Honorio Clemencia, participant and owner of the Honorio Clemencia Farm acknowledged that this training made him realize that there is a lot to learn from this training. He said, “I know that my fellow farmers here want more from this activity as this is our opportunity to further upgrade and make the most out of emerging farm technologies. We should not allow ourselves to be left behind. Hence, I am expecting that we will be talking with each other in the coming days, and let us try to strategize and think of how we will approach this opportunity.”
The DFP is a ladderize course intended for farmers, established by the ATI and PLDT and Smart in 2019, and is a comprehensive program aimed at fostering the widespread adoption of modern agricultural technologies. It encompasses digital literacy training, networking opportunities, digital resource provision, and smart farm certification.
