UNLEASH

Tackling food security in the Philippines

Author: Abad Enriquez, Team Lead, UNLEASH Hack Philippines Organizing Team

UNLEASH Hack Philippines brought together 38 young talents from the Cagayan Valley region to develop food security and smart city solutions by leveraging their community connections. The Hack was co-hosted by iDeaTech 2024 from DISC-TBI.

The program spanned two virtual Hack days over consecutive weekends, where participants collaborated with the support of UNLEASH Facilitators from around the world. Between the Hack days, teams conducted user interviews within their communities to gain direct insights and ensure their solutions were rooted in real, local needs. Webinars with experts from the UNLEASH Community in the Philippines provided additional insights into food security challenges and technology-driven innovations. The hackathon concluded with a pitching competition at the i-ACT4SmartCity Industry-Academe Congress in Isabela on October 16, 2024. More than 300 participants were in attendance, including university students, local stakeholders, and entrepreneurs.

One of the winning solutions was OnioNet, developed to help onion farmers in Nueva Vizcaya reduce post-harvest losses. Cold storage inefficiencies often result in spoilage and theft, posing significant challenges to farmers. OnioNet’s PVC tagging and barcode system enables farmers to track their stored produce in real time, receiving SMS alerts to better manage their inventory and reduce waste. Reflecting on her UNLEASH Hack experience, Rocel Batara from the OnioNet team shared:

“UNLEASH Hack Philippines gave me a new perspective on the daily challenges we face. The community played a key role in shaping our solution, and we’re excited to implement it with them.”

The winning teams, including the OnioNet team, will receive support from DISC-TBI and the UNLEASH Community in the Philippines, including mentorship and resources to further develop and scale their solutions.