The J.H. Cerilles State College in Zamboanga del Sur has completed a project focused on improving crop production and marketing for local farmers through developed web application tools. Funded by the DA-Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), the project aimed to make life better for local farmers by using web tools to improve their crop growing methods.
Dr. Jerry B. Superales, the project leader, shared specific goals, including determining soil quality, understanding limits of crops due to soil and weather, and creating maps showing where crops can grow well. The project also made web tools for smart farming and selling crops, giving real-time data about soil, crops, and fertilizer recommendations.
The project's findings indicated that the whole province has different soil types and pH levels. The maps and web tools made by the project helped farmers easily get information about their soil. These tools let farmers choose the right crops for their land, learn about soil quality, and make decisions based on weather, making farming more efficient and resilient.
With the completion of the project, recommendations and ways forward were considered. These include sharing information with farmers, customizing fertilizer use based on soil needs, and organizing training for farmers to use the web tools and maps effectively. The DA-BAR also suggested making the data input process simpler for farmers and expanding the mobile app to become a direct market platform for consumers.
The project was presented during the review of DA-BAR-funded projects under Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act research for development on 17 January 2024 via Google Meet, facilitated by the Program Monitoring, Evaluation, and Linkaging Division.