How tech can help Filipinos weather El Niño impact

MANILA, Philippines — From low-cost water filtration systems to biofertilizers and automated irrigation, Filipino-made technologies are offering practical solutions to water shortages and agricultural losses as the country braces for the impact of a “super” El Niño.

The Department of Agriculture has reported P8.6 billion in crop losses, underscoring the need for measures to help farmers cope with prolonged dry conditions.

In response, Filipino innovators are developing homegrown technologies and practical solutions to help communities adapt to its effects.

Biochar filter

One such innovation is a biochar water filter developed by Sambali Beach Farm, a social enterprise in Zambales that uses charcoal recycled from discarded young coconuts, or buko.

The filtration system uses charcoal, cleaned sand and stones to filter water through a series of drums, making it suitable for drinking. The four-drum setup costs P4,800 and can be used for one year.

The enterprise has donated filtration systems to Aeta communities in Zambales, where water stations are scarce. Subdivision owners and farmers have also adopted the technology to reduce costs.

“Actually, we made this for disaster response, so local government units (LGUs) should have this,” Jeanet Delfierro, a community organizer at Sambali Beach Farm, said on the sidelines of the “Handa Pilipinas Luzon Leg” in Clark, Pampanga, an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology. “Whenever there are disasters, they can bring this to areas with no source of water.

“They can get water from the pump or the river and put it in there. It will be filtered and you don’t have to spend millions of pesos,” she added.

To demonstrate the filter’s effectiveness, Sambali Beach Farm uses it in its restaurant, where foreign visitors also drink the filtered water, Delfierro said.

The enterprise supports 500 households across the Zambales provincial capital of Iba and the towns of Botolan, Cabangan, Palauig and San Felipe. Delfierro hopes to secure more funding to expand its operations to other towns in the province.

Nutrio biofertilizer

Aside from addressing water shortages, the DOST is scaling up technologies to help farmers cope with El Niño through Project SARAI, or Smarter Approaches to Reinvigorate Agriculture as an Industry in the Philippines, which has received continuing appropriations of P600 million since 2025.

Among the technologies being promoted is Nutrio, a biofertilizer developed by researchers from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

Made with microorganisms, the product helps crops such as sugarcane achieve better yields at a lower cost.

Marlon Gamboa, a farmer from Paniqui, Tarlac, took a chance on the biofertilizer two years ago at Ruby’s Farm to reduce his reliance on conventional urea fertilizer.

“More than 50 percent of the cost of the fertilizer will be lost if you use Nutrio,” Gamboa told reporters during a visit in July.

Nutrio is being tested in seven provinces, including Tarlac. In a commercial trial in Concepcion, farmers who used Nutrio alongside urea harvested 69.25 tons of sugarcane per hectare, 23 percent above the national average. The trial also generated an additional income of P72,755.

Each bag of Nutrio costs P350, an added expense that Gamboa acknowledged. However, he said the benefits have been substantial, with Ruby’s Farm now harvesting an average of 125 tons of cane per hectare per cropping season, up from 30 to 40 tons previously.

Irrigation system

To further improve production and reduce water waste, Gamboa also adopted an automated furrow irrigation system developed by Central Luzon State University (CLSU).

The P400,000 system regulates the amount and timing of irrigation water, helping farmers avoid unnecessary water use.

“We have two soil moisture sensors: the first (sensor) will dictate when you will water the soil… When the sugarcane has consumed 50 percent of the available soil moisture, that’s when irrigation will begin,” Marvin Cinense, director of CLSU’s Philippine-Sino Center for Agricultural Technology, said during a demonstration.

“We do not need to water the sugarcane often. The sub-sensor will determine when it stops. That means we are reducing the losses,” he added.

Promoting solutions

Despite the potential benefits of local innovations, getting the public to adopt them remains a challenge.

One example is the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s water filtration kit, suggested by President Marcos, which drew ridicule from some Filipinos amid discussions about collecting rainwater to address El Niño.

DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. defended the kit, saying its specialized bucket can collect rainwater and filter out particles to make the water for drinking.