Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has called on officials and employees of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to accelerate data collection efforts ahead of the launch of the agency’s new Command Center, a central platform that will drive the department’s digitalization strategy and serve as the backbone for evidence-based policymaking.
Speaking at the DA’s quarterly management meeting, Tiu Laurel underscored that the DA’s modernization plans hinge on the quality and completeness of information fed into the system. “I encourage everybody to gather and provide data that will populate the Command Center,” he told DA personnel.
“But we need real data, not fake information, to ensure we make the right decisions and take correct actions.”
The Command Center is envisioned to become the DA’s nerve center—a consolidated data hub integrating real-time information on crop production, livestock inventory, weather patterns, import and export flows, price movements, satellite field monitoring, and supply chain conditions.
By centralizing all relevant metrics, the platform aims to eliminate guesswork and allow DA planners to anticipate shortages, prevent oversupply, deploy interventions faster, and improve coordination across regional units.
To strengthen the system’s analytical capabilities, Tiu Laurel said the department is also exploring artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can process the massive volume of data and help craft actionable insights.
“We will use AI to ask the questions and then hopefully help us solve problems or situations,” he said.
The DA chief added that the department may call the service GAIA, short for Government Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture, a nod to the Greek goddess of the Earth.
The AI layer is expected to help the DA simulate crop scenarios, optimize planting schedules, detect disease risks early, monitor farmgate price distortions, and recommend interventions that align with national goals of food security, agricultural modernization, and higher farmer incomes.
Tiu Laurel said the success of the Command Center will rely heavily on agency-wide participation, from central offices down to regional and other field units.
“If we want to manage Philippine agriculture well, we must base our decisions on accurate and timely information,” he said.
With digital tools, unified datasets, and AI-driven analysis, the DA hopes to usher in a more responsive, transparent, and forward-looking agricultural management system—one designed to safeguard supply, stabilize prices, and lift the livelihoods of millions of Filipino farmers.
