DA to develop web-based info system

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture is set to develop a web-based information support system to enable faster reporting of programs and projects.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the agri-information support portal is one of the top initiatives the DA will undertake this year.

The system will provide a more efficient sourcing of farm information and data and will enhance decision support mechanisms.

"This is a purposeful, nationwide initiative that will link all the bureaus, attached agencies, and regions of DA so that we will know the universe of actions that these various agencies are doing to help the farming and fishing sectors," Dar said.

The DA-Information and Communications Technology Service, in consultation with the Office of the Undersecretary for Policy and Planning and the various operating units, bureaus, and attached agencies, will lead and implement the development of the portal.

DA units, including banner programs and special projects under DA, are directed to provide regular updates in their respective activities to be shared with the department’s executive committee under the Agri-Information Support Portal.

"We have a wide range of stakeholders at DA, from the farmers, fishers up to the policymakers. We have  multi-stakeholders that we need to cater to including the tech-savvy millennials," Dar said.

The creation of the web-based info support system  is also in line with efforts to industrialize Philippine agriculture particularly in creating the framework for the digitization of farming and agribusiness activities in the country.

"We also want to highlight the children of the farmers as they will serve as infomediaries of the technologies which they can get from this agri-information support portal," he said.