Estrada, G. D. (2022). Catching up with FIRe : empowering rice farming households on Smart Agriculture Technologies (SATs) towards improved agricultural productivity (Unpublished thesis). Public Management Development Program, Development Academy of the Philippines.

Public Management Development Program. Middle Managers Class. Batch 28. Capstone Paper Thesis (PMDP-MMC)--Development Academy of the Philippines.

Aligned with the DA’s twin goal of “Masaganang Ani at Mataas na Kita,” and its vision of a food-secure and resilient Philippines and empowered and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk, this CP sought to enable local farmers adopt technologies and support intermediaries like the LSA and youth in bridging the digital gap in agriculture. The benefits of SATs such as Binhing Palay, Leaf Color Computing App, Rice Crop Manager Advisory Service (RCMAS), Pest and Disease Risk Identification and Management (PRIME), drone technology for agriculture, e-Damuhan, and PAyong PAGASA were emphasized during the training and demonstration conducted for the targeted rice farming community in Pigcawayan, Cotabato.
This project employed participatory and collaborative approaches among DA, non-DA agencies, private sector, and primary stakeholders, from problem identification, identification of participants, designing solutions/interventions, and organizing and mobilizing to implement the project. The importance of involving partners and beneficiaries in the planning, development, and implementation stages of a project was demonstrated throughout the CP process. Hence, contributing to value creation in the development management system, specifically in co-creating value to agriculture sector through the use of SATs.
The training toolkit was co-designed using adult learning principles following a ladderized approach—from basic to more advanced SATs. Farmer-youth pairing and adoption of learning teams were deliberately designed to foster co-learning within and among the farming households.
The study highlights the importance of measuring the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP), including the documentation of lessons learned and good practices as inputs in the development/improvement of the training toolkit. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to measure the change in KAP of the participants before and after the training. Based on the results for both training phases, the same level of positive perception towards SATs was observed from both the farmers and youth which explained the significant change in practice with the increased appreciation and usage of SATs after the training and demonstration. The participants were also observed to have a moderate level of knowledge on SATs pre- and post-tests implying the necessity for further hands-on training on SATs and applications. Factors such as age, gender, and farming experience were also looked into relation to the participants’ change in KAP and no significant difference in all factors was observed proving the effectiveness of co-learning strategy during the training and demonstration. Results show that the participants believe that the youth play an important role in the application and use of SATs.
The study also documented the effectiveness of involving the youth as co-participants of the farmers. During the training, the youth were also observed to be persistent learners, more driven and engaged in accomplishing hands-on activities relative to the older participants. They served as intermediaries guiding their training partners throughout the hands-on and demonstration activities. Moreover, the participation of LSA in the CP and overall process is pivotal. The learning site owner/farmer serves as a catalyst for change in the KAP of fellow farmers and the youth, not only towards building competencies required of SATs but also towards addressing the problem of the farmers in productivity.