The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) are teaming up to use satellite technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to help protect farms and fisheries from climate threats and improve food production.
The two agencies have formalized a five-year partnership that will use Earth observation and geospatial data to support agriculture, fisheries, disaster response and climate-resilient planning.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said satellite technology could give the government an earlier and clearer picture of threats facing farmers, while field information would help authorities understand the actual conditions on the ground.
“From space, a satellite can see a flood. From the ground, a farmer sees a lost harvest. Our job is to connect those two views,” Tiu Laurel said.
Under the agreement, the agencies will explore satellite-based systems for tracking crop conditions, mapping floods and droughts, assessing irrigation resources, forecasting yields and identifying areas at high risk of agricultural losses.
The technology may also be used to monitor pests and diseases, assess soil conditions, track fisheries and identify promising areas for fishing and aquaculture.
Tiu Laurel said the value of the partnership lies in turning satellite data into information that can support faster and more targeted government decisions.
“Definitely, we are not sending our farmers to space. What we are bringing down from space is information, technology, and better tools for decision-making.”
Satellite mapping could also help the government find ways to make better use of floodwaters. By identifying areas where water naturally flows and collects, authorities could explore sites where excess water can be stored and later used for irrigation during dry periods.
“Some of the water we now see as a hazard could become an agricultural resource,” Tiu Laurel said.
PhilSA will provide satellite imagery and technical expertise, including the collection, processing and analysis of Earth observation data. The DA, meanwhile, will supply field information and validate satellite-generated assessments before incorporating them into agricultural programs.
The agriculture department plans to deploy field validators nationwide to conduct ground-truthing, ensuring that satellite observations accurately reflect actual conditions in farms and other agricultural areas.
“No matter how advanced our satellites become, we still need someone on the ground to confirm that what we see is, indeed, a farm,” Tiu Laurel said.
The agencies will also work on sharing and validating maps and datasets covering crop production, irrigation, drought, flooding and disaster impacts. The five-year framework does not involve a transfer of funds between the agencies. Each will shoulder its own incidental expenses unless separate agreements provide otherwise.
For the DA, officials said the partnership is ultimately about making space technology useful at the farm level—giving farmers and policymakers better information to anticipate risks, protect production and strengthen food security. “Ultimately, this is about using technology to strengthen food security and improve the lives of our farmers and fisherfolk,” Tiu Laurel said.