“The threat of hunger is as real as the threat of Covid-19, ” the Department of Agriculture said a month into the Enhanced Community Quarantine when the limited movement of agricultural workers resulted in problems in harvesting and transporting goods, wastage of crops and loss of income — and a growing fear of shortage in city centers. Thats on top of the pre-existing challenges presented by natural disasters, changing weather patterns and various forms of pests.
Consistent with its refocused priorities, the DA released a memorandum reprogramming its activities and ensuring that they align with the objective of enhancing food productivity, food supply availability, food accessibility and food price stability. And while many initiatives and mobile applications came to the aid of farmers to help them transport their goods from the provinces to city centers and markets, the data has shown that this is no longer enough.
“The TIWALA app is an added service we give to the growers which they can access anytime using mobile phones,” said Brian Pastor, marketing head of Syngenta Philippines, “Aside from our quality and effective products and technologies, the app aims to help farmers identify pest and signs of diseases in their fields at an instant, and find the recommended Syngenta solution.”
“For the Pest Map, growers would have easy access to all relevant information about key insect/disease and weed problems in Corn, Rice, Vegetables and Mango. With just 3-easy clicks, the app will educate them on its physical appearance, a description of its symptoms and the critical timing of its incidence, as well as information and photos of its damage to the crop,” said Syngenta’s Asia Pacific Marketing Head, Leslie Sharp.
“We’ve seen how this pandemic accelerated the use of digital across segments of the society. I would say that majority of our targeted customers would find the Pest Map and Syngenta Program features valuable; all the pertinent information is now made accessible in 3 clicks!” Sharp added. The challenge of providing all farmers, especially those in the rural areas, with the devices and the Internet connection necessary to access the app does persist.
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