Advanced technologies boost aggie in W Visayas

ASAR. MERIS.

No, these are not negative terms.

They are advanced technologies now being used to boost agricultural production (notably rice) in Western Visayas, particularly Iloilo.

ASAR stands for advanced synthetic aperture radar while MERIS means medium resolution imaging spectrometer.

ASAR can monitor land surface properties, soil moisture and wetland extent, deforestation, desertification, and natural hazards.

MERIS measures the solar-reflected radiation from the earth’s surface and from clouds in the visible and near infrared range during daytime. It provides a synergistic mission for biological and geophysical characterization of the oceans, land, and coastal zones.

Specifically, ASAR and MERIS are now being used by a research team of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophycial, and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) to produce a map initially of Iloilo’s rice-growing areas that will feature the growth stages of rice fields, types of land cover, and areas with high soil moisture.

Funded by the DOST-Philippine Council for Advanced Science and Technology Research and Development (PCASTRD), the three-year project is part of PCASTRD’s space technology application program that recognizes R&D/S&T’s vital role in national development. It is also supported by the European Space Agency.

In the undertaking, the project team headed by Dr. Flaviana Hilario explored ways to address recurrent rice shortfall by identifying rice-growing areas that could sustain rice requirements.

"We have identified Iloilo province with its vast agricultural land as one of the major rice-growing areas in the Visayas," said Dr. Hilario, as quoted by PCASTRD’s Janet Rosalie Anne Polita.

"With this project we are not only responding to the current rice production problem but also exploring the use of advanced technology as aid to our country’s sustainable development," Dr. Hilario added. – RAF