Outstanding college students who developed digital technologies and services for the agriculture and fisheries sector were recognized by the Department of Agriculture through the Agricultural Training Institute (DA-ATI) during the Demo Day of the Agri Tech Innovate: Accelerating Digital Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture & Fisheries (Digi Agri Hacki) on December 10, 2025.

Launched in March by the DA-ATI, the Digi Agri Hacki project was piloted in Cagayan Valley, CALABARZON, Western Visayas, and Northern Mindanao. The initiative seeks to identify innovative digital solutions to address pressing challenges in agriculture and fisheries, while fostering youth participation, collaboration, and networking.

“If we don’t encourage youth in agriculture, anong magiging future ng ating food security? The future of our agriculture is in our youth, so kung hindi natin ie-encourage ang youth natin, mahihirapan tayo. Whatever it is that we are building right now, we cannot build on more if yung future natin is jeopardized if wala namang may interest sa agriculture,” DA Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Atty. Alvin John Balagbag said during the awarding ceremony.

With the approval of the agriculture secretary, Undersecretary Balagbag announced that the DA will scale up the Digi Agri Hacki nationwide, with increased funding to encourage more youth-led innovations.

The project has three phases: 1) ideation workshops; 2) bootcamp and mentoring; and 3) demo day. There were 25 participating schools, 108 students, and 40 coaches during the ideation workshops, but only 10 schools, 36 students, and 12 coaches qualified to proceed to the bootcamp and mentoring sessions. From there, only the top five teams, composed of three students each, qualified for the demonstration of prototypes and final pitch.

“We really hope that all the ideas, the products that we have produced will be utilized. It doesn’t stop here,” DA-ATI Assistant Director Antonieta Arceo said.

She also recognized the essential support of the Department of Information and Communications Technology’s ICT Industry Development Bureau in the successful implementation of the project’s pilot run.

Below are the first batch of winning teams from the Digi Agri Hacki Program:

• 1st Place: AgriBits Team composed of Arjoe Solidum, Aljune Yatar, Alwin Andrade, and coach Jess Masula from Aklan State University. They developed Natural Fiber Classifier, a real-time image based grading classification for abaca and red Spanish pineapple fibers.
• 2nd Place: OnioNet Team composed of Ken Quiambao, Jericho Pineda, MC Osmund Espejo, and coach Rocel Batara from Saint Mary’s University – Bayombong. OnioNet is a digital tracking and monitoring system for onion cold storage facilities.
• 3rd Place: SEAQUA Team composed of Mary Emily Aguilar, Alessandra Minoza, Theo Mata, and coach Mercedes Pates from the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology. Their Smart Environment Aquatic Monitoring is a Smart Recirculating Aquaculture System RAS, utilizing IoT & AI and biofiltration.
• 4th Place: DIPTek Team composed of Eirmon John Paculan, Paul Jackson Laerin, Daniel Zon Baltazar, and coach Quennie Bilugan from Cavite State University- Naic Campus. They developed AKWATEK that offers an AI-powered progressive web application that detects fish stress in real time by analyzing eye-darkening indicators.
• 5th Place: ArcTech Team composed of Joeñino Cainday, Jasmine Alison, Zea Muñez, and coach Jodie Rey Fernandez from University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines Cagayan de Oro Campus. CropWise is a web and mobile platform that delivers AI-driven crop and multicropping recommendations, real-time soil and weather monitoring, and comprehensive farm management tools.

“I really learned a lot from our speakers. I am really eager to learn. With ATI giving students an avenue like this really prospers college students and would inspire more people to innovate,” SEAQUA Team Lead Aguilar expressed. ### (Gumamela Celes C. Bejarin-Rosas, DA-AFID)