First Smart Farm in the country

(Photo from DOST-PCIEERD)

The Smart Plant Production in Controlled Environments (SPICE) facility will be soon established in the DOST-ASTI Complex in Quezon City. This program is under the Nursery of Indigenous and Endemic Plants with funding of Php128.00 million.

SPICE aims to take the lead in research and development (R&D) for the standalone urban farming system that will elevate the efforts in urban farming promotion and high-tech plant conservation.

This is a result of the cooperation between the  UP Diliman Institute of Biology (IB) and Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute (EEEI), and UP Los Baños Institute of Biology. Aside from urban farming, the program includes the establishment of protocols for micropropagation, cryopreservation, and nursery management of rare, endangered, and economically valuable native plant species.

“The core of this project is not only the development of new technology but, on a macro perspective, to ensure that we can protect our country’s rich biodiversity,” DOST Undersecretary for R&D Dr. Rowena Cristina Guevara said.

In line with efforts in national food security, this will harness the potential of urban farming to augment traditional agriculture in the rural areas. This employs modern farming methods such as vertical farming, micropropagation, cryptopreservation and even hydroponics. These techniques are used in conjunction with the use of lighting, irrigation and climate monitoring by utilizing sensors, electronics, and automation.

It is also intended that the facility include a “Living Laboratory” wherein the technologies employed can be observed by visitors and also fresh produce that is grown on-site can be bought in the facility’s own store.