The Department of Science & Technology Ilocos Region (DOST Ilocos Region), through its Smart Agriculture for Resilient Agriculture-based Innovations (SARAI) unit, continues to strengthen the foundation for data-driven agricultural development through a series of Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) and planning workshops conducted with partner local government units (LGUs) across the region.
The workshops were held in three key cities, each attended by local farmers and representatives from the City Agriculture Office headed by their respective City Agriculturists along with their Agriculture Extension Workers:
• City of San Fernando – October 29, 2025
• City of Batac – November 5, 2025
• City of Candon – November 6, 2025
The activity served as a platform for gathering and validating on-the-ground agricultural data, including cropping calendars, yield patterns, challenges, and ongoing programs and projects of the LGUs. By examining this information directly with the stakeholders who manage and experience local agricultural conditions daily, SARAI ensures that the next steps of its implementation reflect real needs and localized realities.
Participants openly discussed climate concerns, market pressures, crop performance issues, and conditions affecting productivity. The SARAI Ilocos team, in turn, presented the digital tools, applications, and decision-support systems of the project, demonstrating how satellite data, analytics, and mobile-based advisories can support better planning, monitoring, and response at the field level.
Each session concluded with a planning workshop where validated data and shared insights were compiled to identify priority needs and areas where SARAI technologies can immediately create impact. These outputs now serve as the groundwork for SARAI’s localized implementation, ensuring programs and interventions remain relevant, practical, and results-oriented.
With the completion of TNAs in these LGUs, DOST SARAI Ilocos Region moves forward with a comprehensive and evidence-based roadmap grounded in real community conditions. Through collaborative engagement and science-driven solutions, SARAI continues its mission of making innovation truly felt on the ground, empowering farmers and LGUs toward smarter and more resilient agriculture. (Christian Dominic I. Casimiro)