The Department of Science and Technology – Central Luzon successfully conducted a two-day Capacity Building for Provincial Science and Technology Office (PSTO) Focal Persons under the Smart and INnovative AGriculture (SINAG) initiative on February 26–27, 2026, reinforcing its commitment to advancing smart agriculture across the region.

The activity gathered PSTO focal persons from various provinces in Central Luzon to strengthen their technical competencies in deploying smart agriculture technologies at the grassroots level. As key implementers of science and technology programs, the participants play a vital role in ensuring that innovations reach farmers, local government units (LGUs), and agricultural stakeholders efficiently and effectively.

In his inspirational message, Dr. Julius Caesar V. Sicat, CESO III, Regional Director of DOST Central Luzon, expressed his optimism about the initiative. He shared that he is both happy and hopeful that through this capacity building activity, the region can achieve a smarter, more sustainable, and more innovative agriculture sector in Central Luzon.

A major highlight of the training was the in-depth orientation and hands-on sessions on various technologies developed under Project SARAI (Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines). Participants were trained on:
• CL SEAMS (Community-Level SARAI Enhanced Monitoring System), which provides soil and environmental data analytics to support informed farm-level decision-making;
• SPIDTECH (Smarter Pest Identification Technology), a digital tool designed for pest and disease identification of priority crops;
• The Sarai Knowledge Portal, a web-based platform offering weather advisories, crop information, and data-driven agricultural insights for farmers and extension workers.

Through guided demonstrations and practical exercises, PSTO focal persons learned how to navigate these platforms, interpret data outputs, and translate technical information into actionable advisories for local stakeholders.

The training also featured a live demonstration of the Automatic Weather Station (AWS) conducted by the official supplier. Participants were oriented on the components, installation requirements, data collection process, and the importance of localized weather monitoring in enhancing climate resilience. The demonstration emphasized how real-time weather data can improve rainfall forecasting, crop planning, and early warning systems in vulnerable farming communities.

In addition, discussions anchored on the SINAG Virtual Hub underscored how integrating these technologies into a unified digital ecosystem can address persistent agricultural challenges such as climate variability, pest outbreaks, low productivity, and limited access to timely advisories.

Participants also engaged in intensive hands-on activities designed to strengthen their technical proficiency in geospatial and remote sensing applications. These included practical exercises using Google Earth Engine for satellite data processing, digitization of agricultural areas, agri-monitoring through NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) analysis, determination of standing crop conditions, and spatial mapping using QGIS. Through these workshops, PSTO focal persons were able to interpret vegetation health indices, generate thematic maps, and analyze crop performance data to support evidence-based agricultural planning and advisories.
Workshops and collaborative sessions further enabled participants to align SINAG and Project SARAI technologies with provincial agricultural priorities. The activity also strengthened inter-provincial coordination to ensure harmonized and strategic implementation of smart agri-tech initiatives across Central Luzon.

Through this capacity building initiative, the Department of Science and Technology – Central Luzon reaffirmed its commitment to empowering its personnel with the knowledge and tools necessary to deliver responsive, science-based solutions to the agricultural sector. By equipping PSTO focal persons with expertise in SARAI technologies, geospatial monitoring tools, and weather monitoring systems, the region moves closer to realizing a smarter, more resilient, and data-driven agricultural future through SINAG.