The Department of Agriculture (DA) is looking to space technology to sharpen farm and fisheries management, tapping satellite data to raise productivity, strengthen climate resilience, improve irrigation planning, and speed up disaster assistance for farmers and fishers.

In a strategy meeting with the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. laid out the DA’s vision of combining satellite intelligence with boots-on-the-ground validation to modernize Philippine agriculture as directed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

At the top of the agenda was flood mapping. Tiu Laurel asked PhilSA to identify where floodwaters naturally flow and accumulate during heavy rains so excess water can be harvested and reused for irrigation instead of draining into rivers and the sea.

The DA also wants to expand the use of satellite monitoring beyond rice and corn. Also needs monitoring for vegetables such as carrots and cabbages to help anticipate oversupply and stabilize farmgate prices.

The discussions likewise covered satellite monitoring of crop pests and diseases, drought, floods, soil moisture, greenhouse gas emissions, and even water quality in Laguna de Bay, where the DA is exploring whether space-based imagery can help detect pollution linked to recurring fish kills.

For municipal fishers, the DA and PhilSA are exploring satellite-based fishing grounds mapping that could provide free information on productive fishing areas, wind conditions, and ocean currents ### (Photos by DA – OSEC Comms)