TAGUIG CITY – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-MIMAROPA successfully concluded its four-day Training-Workshop on DOST Smart and Innovative Agriculture (DOST SINAG) held from June 15 to 18, 2026, at the DOST Regional Office in Bicutan, Taguig City through a hybrid learning format. The activity brought together personnel from the Regional Office, Provincial Science and Technology Offices (PSTOs), and partner agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (DA)-MIMAROPA and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-MIMAROPA, to strengthen their knowledge and skills in utilizing digital technologies for smarter and more resilient agriculture.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
The training-workshop was facilitated by the Department of Science and Technology - Central Luzon (DOST CL) under the leadership of Regional Director Dr. Julius Caesar V. Sicat, CESO III, as part of the Department's continuing initiative to advance smart and innovative agriculture across the Philippines. Through collaborative capacity-building efforts, DOST continues to equip its regional offices and partner institutions with science-based digital technologies that support agricultural productivity, climate resilience, and sustainable rural development.

Designed as a comprehensive capacity-building initiative, the training equipped participants with the competencies needed to maximize the use of the DOST SINAG Virtual Hub, a digital platform that consolidates smart agriculture tools, data-driven technologies, and decision-support systems for the agriculture sector. Throughout the four-day workshop, participants actively explored the platform's features through lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏: 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐆 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐮𝐛
The training officially opened with welcome messages from DOST-MIMAROPA and DOST Central Luzon, followed by an inspirational message from Dr. Sicat, who emphasized the importance of digital transformation in agriculture and the role of innovation in empowering farming communities. Participants then underwent a pre-test to assess their baseline knowledge before being introduced to the DOST SINAG Virtual Hub and its core functionalities.

The afternoon sessions focused on navigating the platform's Smart Forecast systems covering agricultural, climate, and market information, as well as the SilAI and AgriSense modules, providing participants with practical experience in utilizing digital tools for agricultural planning and decision-making.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐: 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠
The second day centered on advanced applications of the DOST SINAG Virtual Hub for agricultural monitoring and disaster preparedness. Participants learned about AgriSense for remote sensing and crop monitoring, generated agricultural disaster risk maps for drought and typhoon scenarios, and explored the capabilities of Google Earth Engine for agricultural applications through lectures and hands-on training exercises.

These sessions enabled participants to better understand how geospatial technologies and satellite-derived information can support evidence-based agricultural planning and climate resilience initiatives.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟑: 𝐄𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Recognizing the importance of effective science communication, the third day focused on developing participants' skills in preparing publication materials, news articles, and social media content for dissemination through the DOST SINAG Virtual Hub. Participants also underwent practical exercises on writing and uploading news articles to the platform.

The afternoon sessions introduced the generation of localized crop advisories using the DOST SINAG Virtual Hub. Through guided exercises and presentations, participants applied science-based agricultural information in crafting advisories that can help farmers make informed decisions on crop management.

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟒: 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬
On the final day, participants demonstrated the knowledge and skills they acquired by generating comprehensive agricultural reports using the DOST SINAG Virtual Hub. Their outputs were presented and evaluated, followed by feedback from the DOST SINAG team and the participants themselves, fostering discussions on further improving the platform's utilization within their respective offices.

The training concluded with the awarding of certificates and closing ceremonies, recognizing the participants' successful completion of the four-day capacity-building program.

𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞
The successful completion of the training underscores DOST's continuing commitment to advancing digital transformation in agriculture by empowering regional personnel and partner agencies with innovative tools, data-driven technologies, and effective communication strategies. Through strengthened capacities and enhanced interregional collaboration between DOST Central Luzon and DOST-MIMAROPA, the Department continues to expand the implementation of the DOST SINAG initiative, making smart and innovative agriculture more accessible to farming communities and supporting the country's pursuit of a more productive, climate-resilient, and sustainable agricultural sector.