A consortium of tech companies and advocates are encouraging the youth to be involved in creating innovations for the agriculture industry through technology.
TechUp Pilipinas together with Unionbank spearheaded a two-day hackathon series entitled <U:Hack> wherein developers composed of students, professionals and other stakeholders gathered to pitch out tech-based solutions on agriculture industry problems.
“Agriculture is not being paid attention by the youth. But I think today, we actually sort of debunk that, because coming here seeing those kids who came from different places in Davao and outside, means they care,” Unionbank Human Resources Director Michelle Rubio said during the press conference.
She added that there is a need to empower the youth in order for them be reinforced in going back into farming.
“With the problems in agriculture, we need to collectively come together, the youth most specially, must harness that creativity so that they can develop solutions that are pressing today in the agricultural scene,” Rubio said.
<U:Hack> is one of the activities of the TechUp Pilipinas Agri Summit last August 25-26 at the Azuela Cove, wherein technology experts and leaders in the banking industry shared their vision of uplifting the agricultural industry by providing digital transformation for sectors that are not given traditional access to new technology and financial inclusion.
Among the key speakers during the summit were Senior Vice President of UnionBank Mon Duarte, Director for Information and Communications Technology at the Department of Agriculture Clint Hassan, TraXion Founder and CEO Ann Cuisia, Xlog Marketing and Sales Director Nico Gonzales, Acudeen Technologies Founder and Chief Technical and Product Officer Mario Salazar and Jayjay Viray, Agrigrocer Founder.
“With TechUp Pilipinas and our partners, I’m very proud to be standing with the group of tech leaders and advocates who are driving change and are passionate about leading our agriculture industry into digital transformation all the way to the grassroots,” TechUp Pilipinas Co-convenor Amor Maclang said.
Meanwhile UnionBank Senior Vice President Mon Duarte acknowledge that improving the agricultural sector requires huge partnership in financial inclusion and digital transformation.
“TechUp Agri is a way for us to bring together innovators, stakeholders, government, and tech solution providers to create solutions to the most immediate problems in the industry,” Duarte said.
Ann Cuisia, CEO of TraXion said that Mindanao needs more attention in agricultural improvement.
“Mindanao is close to our heart. Statistics wise, lots of farmer of here with low level of trust,” Cuisia said.
In a World Bank report, Phiilippines’ agriculture industry had a huge drop of percentage in contribution to the economy with 9.65%, a far figure from 30% during the 1970s.
Farming has lost its appeal, especially among the youth, as farmers receive earnings of around Php 10,000 to 15,000 per harvest and the hard labor and high production cost it entails.
Factors included are the increase of cheap food imports, the recurring damages caused by yearly floods and droughts, and the woeful lack of advancement in technology, the Filipino farmer and agriculture industry are forced to into crisis mode.
UnionBank and Blockchain Association of the Philippines ChairmanJusto Ortiz said that most farmers do not have bank accoutns or access to basic financial services
“It’s about time that we reach out to the farmers and fishermen of the Philippines and give them a boost with technology,” He added, “Financial inclusion will help the livelihood of farmers and fishermen and will also help economic development.”
