The Department of Science and Technology will bring three locally developed agri-aqua technologies to the 2026 National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week in General Santos City from November 25 to 29. The showcase turns a science event into a practical look at tools designed for farmers and fish growers. DOST-Central Luzon’s Sun Harvest is a mobile solar-powered irrigation unit, while DOST-MIRDC’s Smart Recirculating Aquaculture System uses connected sensors to track water conditions. DOST-Central Visayas will also present ARKA, a platform intended to connect farms with markets.
Sun Harvest addresses a basic constraint in rural production: reliable water access without depending entirely on diesel or gasoline pumps. The mobile unit uses solar power and is designed as an alternative for farms in communities with limited electricity. That matters in areas where fuel costs can make irrigation expensive or where equipment cannot easily be connected to a stable grid. The project is not a substitute for watershed planning or maintenance, but it demonstrates how renewable energy can be attached to a specific agricultural task and deployed closer to the point of need.
Smart RAS focuses on aquaculture, where water quality can determine whether tilapia, shrimp and soft-shelled crabs remain healthy. The system monitors ammonia, pH, temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen in real time, allowing operators to respond before conditions become damaging. Automated monitoring can reduce the guesswork involved in managing recirculating water, although farms still need trained staff and dependable maintenance. Its value is therefore practical rather than flashy: better data can support steadier production, improve resource use and make small changes visible before they become costly losses.
ARKA, or the Ark of Agriculture, adds a market and farm-management layer to the exhibit. Developed by DOST-Central Visayas, the platform uses data from Project SARAI sensors to track soil moisture, temperature and microclimate conditions. Those readings can help farmers decide when to use water, fertilizer or crop protection inputs, while a direct connection to markets can improve distribution. The three projects share a useful direction for Philippine technology: build tools around local production problems, use data where it changes decisions and keep the final benefit tied to livelihoods rather than novelty.
