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DAVAO CITY, Philippines—An innovative alert system powered by satellites, sensors, and drones may soon help cacao farmers safeguard their crops and ensure a steady supply of premium beans. A groundwork project in Davao City, Philippines validated the use of satellite data, soil sensors, and drone imaging to provide farmers advance alerts on health disruptions in their cacao farms. Farmers will receive these warnings as simple messages on their mobile phones, enabling them to address the problems before they escalate.
The project was funded by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) through its Grants for Research towards Agricultural Innovative Solutions (GRAINS).
Leading the project is Ms. Mary Grace Gasco, founder of SpaceCrop, a startup company that aims to help farmers adapt to changing climates through satellite technology and artificial intelligence.
The project established baseline levels of soil moisture, nutrients, and leaf vigor under normal farm conditions, creating a reference point for early detection of stress. Months of monitoring showed that satellites and sensors can detect unusual drops that indicate plant stress caused by drought, nutrient loss, or disease. These combined signals provide farmers with valuable early warnings, giving them time to act before damage worsens.
Since 2019, cacao producers from Davao have consistently won silver and gold in the international Cacao of Excellence awards, boosting global demand for their beans. Yet supply remains low, averaging only half a kilo per tree compared to the two-kilo target. By enabling early intervention against plant stressors such as black pod rot, the alert system offers a pathway to closing this yield gap and meeting market demand.
"This is about giving cacao farmers practical tools to better understand what's happening in their fields," said Gasco.
"If the system alerts them to sudden stress, they can take steps right away — whether that's biocontrol interventions or closer inspection of the crop," she added.
The project team has also tested drone-based thermal and multispectral imaging, which proved capable of detecting pod-level anomalies associated with black pod rot, a major disease in cacao. Drones can confirm disease presence after the alert system signals stress, which would allow farmers to identify affected pods in a non-destructive manner.
Satellite image of vegetation cover in cacao farm, drone spectrometry of cacao pods, and soil sensor installation in farm
SEARCA GRAINS is designed to help innovators and startups bring their prototypes closer to field use.
"This satellite-based decision tool shows how data-driven solutions can empower farmers to be more resilient," said Atty. Eric Reynoso, Program Head of SEARCA's Emerging Innovation for Growth Department.
"By linking early detection with practical farm management, this project has the potential to improve productivity and market reach for cacao growers," Reynoso said.
According to the Mindanao Development Authority, cacao farming is a primary source of livelihood for smallholder farmers in Davao and other areas of rural Mindanao, where 90 percent of Philippine cacao is produced.
Field mapping of cacao farms
With further validation and farmer trials, the satellite-based alert system can be trained and refined into a reliable, scalable early-warning tool poised to benefit communities of cacao growers across Southeast Asia, said Gasco.
If the region is to become a reliable supplier in the global market, cacao's vulnerability to climate stress and diseases must be addressed. An affordable, farmer-friendly alert system could help growers anticipate disruptions early, safeguard yields, and stabilize incomes.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/9LXPZ1o0MSA