Several smart agriculture resource management technologies that promise effective and efficient farm management for various major crops and aquatic resources were showcased during the International Smart City Exposition and Networking Engagement (iSCENE) 2025.
The agricultural resource management technologies featured include Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines (SARAi), AGROTIS, and PEST D-Tech. These technologies were outputs of the projects monitored by the Agricultural Resource Management Research (ARMRD) and funded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).
SARAi is a program that harnesses precision agriculture technologies, such as crop modeling, satellite remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS), and information and communication technology (ICT) to develop decision support tools for crop forecasting, advisories, and early warning systems. Led by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), SARAi provides protocols for nine major crops, including rainfed rice, corn, coffee, cacao, coconut, banana, sugarcane, tomato, and soybean.
On the other hand, AGROTIS is an add-on system developed by the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for hand tractors that enables autonomous or Global Positioning System (GPS)-guided operation while performing field tasks. It allows farmers to remotely monitor and control the tractors, with built-in safety features and the capability to operate multiple units simultaneously.
Lastly, PEST D-Tech is a drone- and robotics-powered pest and disease monitoring system for corn and onion developed by the Central Luzon State University (CLSU).
Organized annually in celebration of Smarter City and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Day, iSCENE serves as a national platform for presenting innovative technologies and sharing best practices in sustainable urban development. This year’s event also marked the 10th anniversary of Cauayan City’s recognition as the Philippines’ first Smarter City by DOST on March 25, 2015.
Held last May 22-24, 2025 at the ICON Isabela Convention Center in Cauayan City, iSCENE 2025, iSCENE brought together representatives from the government, academe, industry, and international partners. With its focus on the Smart and Sustainable Communities Framework aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and DOST’s Smarter Philippines, the event featured exhibits, discussions, and networking opportunities to actively drive the Smarter Philippines mission, which aims to leverage ICT to provide more efficient and dependable services for Filipinos nationwide.
Aside from the Smarter Technologies Exhibition, DOST-PCAARRD and its partners also took part in the Smart Agriculture and forum where PCAARRD-invited speakers discussed various technologies including SARAi. Engr. Dr. Decibel V. Faustino-Eslava from UPLB’s School of Environmental Science and Management discussed Project SARAi and its upcoming SARAi Centralized National Hub for Regional Operations (SARAi CENTRO) that is set to capacitate farmers nationwide.
DOST-PCAARRD’s active participation in iSCENE 2025 highlights its continued commitment to advancing science and technology innovations that empower communities and drive smarter, more sustainable development.
