ILOILO CITY -- A smart greenhouse project funded by the South Korean government has opened in a facility managed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Iloilo City, raising hopes of achieving optimal plant growth in the area.
Smart Greenhouse is a self-regulating, micro-climate controlled environment in which ‘climatic conditions inside the greenhouse, such as, temperature, humidity, luminosity, soil moisture are continuously monitored.’
‘The small variations in these climatic conditions trigger automated actions which in turn evaluate change and take corrective action thus maintaining optimal conditions for plant growth.
The smart greenhouse, which is located within DA’s Western Visayas Integrated Agricultural Research Center (WESVIARC), is expected to increase vegetable production of high-valued crops by five to eight tons.
“This is one of the strategic locations targeted to showcase these new technologies,” said DA Secretary William Dar at the recent inauguration.
The smart greenhouse built with a P215-million grant from South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) is designed to help small and mid-sized farmers battle the challenges in production caused by climate change.
According to MAFRA President Dr. Lee Jong Soon, the smart greenhouse in Iloilo was replicated from the pilot sites in Baguio City and Tanay town in Rizal province.
DA-6 Regional Director Remelyn Recoter said WESVIARC will also offer training to farmers and entrepreneurs from across Western Visayas region who want to learn about using smart greenhouses.