Various technologies are being developed to herald the start of smart farming in the Philippines.
AIRIN is an automated irrigation and nutrient management system that was developed by students from the Nueva Vizcaya State University.
It helps farmers minimize labor costs by automating irrigation and input costs. That is, by applying only the right amount of fertilizer at the right time in the right place.
ARCHIE is a ground robot for precision pest control. It automates the detection of pests and diseases to make the application of pesticides more precise, thus reducing input and labor cost.
It was developed by a team of students from Saint Louis University, University of Baguio and University of the Cordilleras.
BalZip is a cable suspended drone. It helps farmers accurately apply fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides as well as monitor farm activities. It was conceived by students from the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines.
FarmJuan Management System is a set of technologies that monitor, analyze and prescribe appropriate activities in farms. In the process, operations and input costs are optimized.
It was created by a team of students at the Asian Institute of Management.
Chlomet is a low-cost and automated chlorophyll meter device that can provide the exact data on chlorophyll and nitrogen content of the leaves of a plant, helping farmers create and apply data-driven decisions with minimal costs.
It was developed by students from the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines.
Project ANGAT is a vertical farming system made from bamboo, integrated into a digital platform.
It has three components: Malakas, the vertical farming system; Maganda, a capsule with formulated organic waste materials; and Dumangan, an online platform that connects farmers and consumers. The e-platform was developed by students at the University of Mindanao.
They are vying in the Innovation Olympics 2.0, a collaborative project of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), University of the Philippines Los Baños (, East-West Seed, Sensient Colors LLC, UPLB Startup Innovation and Business Opportunity Linkaging Labs and APEX: The UPLB Business Network.
Each finalist has received P100,000 seed money to pilot test the projects in their communities.
The winning team will receive P200,000 as cash prize to improve and continue their technology solution to help farmers.
