“Digitally Sustaining Our Future” Is What ICAST 2024 Says. “What About Conserving The Past?“ This 83-Year Old Asks

Today Tuesday, 26 March 2024, I saw Rea Cruz Reyes’ Facebook post about an international conference on agriculture; intrigued, I asked for a copy of the report, and Ms Rea emailed me a summary in 475 words about the event. At the outset, I must congratulate the organizers of the event.

Via Ms Rea:

The Philippine Association of Agriculturists Region III-Tamarind Chapter, and Pampanga Agricultural State University (PSAU) held [the very] 𝟏𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐍𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 (𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒) with the theme: "Digitally Sustaining Our Future: Exploring The Application of Emerging Technologies For Food Security And Sustainability" on March 13-15, 2024 at the Royce Hotel, Clark, Angeles City, Pampanga.

I especially note: “Food Security and Sustainability.” Very broad – and necessarily so. Not the very limiting “Rice Sufficiency” that certain other PH leaders are pursuing. Sufficiency: No, not only rice.
(Rice image from shutterstock.com)

The 2024 ICAST conference brought together leading experts, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the field of agriculture and technology. The conference aimed to explore innovative solutions and strategies for addressing global challenges related to food security and sustainability in the digital age.

• Emerging Technologies in Agriculture: Various presentations and discussions centered around the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, and precision agriculture into agricultural practices. These technologies offer promising opportunities to optimize resource management, enhance productivity, and mitigate environmental impact.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: A prevalent theme throughout the conference was the importance of data-driven decision-making in agriculture. The utilization of big data analytics and predictive modeling enables farmers to make informed decisions regarding crop management, pest control, and resource allocation, ultimately improving yields and efficiency.

“Data-driven decision making” – I suppose ICAST 2024 discussed data gathered from practices in modern farming but not from practices in traditional farming that are included in the term “Regenerative Agriculture” (RA).

RA is what the keynote speaker spoke about:

Keynote Address by Dr William D Dar, a renowned expert in agricultural technology,  a senior adviser for the Go Negosyo Kapatid Angat Lahat Agri Program (KALAP) and a former Secretary of Agriculture; delivered [an] inspiring keynote address on the transformative potential of regenerative agriculture in achieving food security and sustainability goals.

Call me old-fashioned, but I note: “The transformative potential of regenerative agriculture in achieving food security and sustainability goals.” Regenerative Agriculture (RA) includes, in my list, the following:
1, Compost application
2, Cover cropping
3, Crop rotation
4, Farm crops + tree crops
5, Green manuring
6, Intercropping
7, Multiple cropping
8, No-till farming
9, Organic fertilization
10, Ratooning
11, “Three Sisters”
12, Trap cropping
13, Trash mulching.

The number “13” is intentional on my part, to warn the reader that s/he is treading on “dangerous” grounds. Those 13 are all old technologies or practices and not mentioned because the conference was on “emerging technologies.”

My challenge is for the ICAST to conduct another conference, this time on exploring the application of old practices in agriculture towards defeating modern climate change!@517