The Southern Philippines Agri-business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) successfully conducted the project entitled “Revolutionizing Coconut Farming through Innovation in Motion Project: Design, Fabrication, and Evaluation of Mechanical Dehusker with Automated Counting Mechanism” through the leadership of its project leader, Mr. Leo C. Radores, Dean of the Institute of Computing, Engineering, and Technology.
Through the collaboration of faculty members from various Institutes of the College, the project demonstrated significant positive outcomes, particularly in supporting marginalized coconut farmers in Barangay Buhangin, Malita, Davao Occidental. With active community participation and technology validation under real field conditions, fifteen (15) farmers from the Development Assistance for Tribal Uplander Association (DATU)—with whom an MOU was also established—served as participants in the study. They conducted manual dehusking operations to generate baseline performance data. These results were then compared with the outputs produced using the mechanical coconut dehusker, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of the machine’s efficiency, productivity, and overall potential benefits for smallholder farmers. As an integral part of the implementation, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SPAMAST and the Barangay Local Government Unit of Buhangin was forged, ensuring a deep collaboration in realizing the project and achieving its objectives. With coconut as one of the top commodities in the country, this project ignited various opportunities that cater to elevating the lives of coconut farmers and integrating innovative strategies that enhance conventional farming techniques and processes. The outcome of the project serves as a foundation in formulating future approaches in instruction, research, and actual application.
The institution stands high in upholding technological development like this project. Along with its vision of transforming communities toward achieving sustainable development, this underscores SPAMAST’s commitment to bringing economic prosperity. Moreover, as this project continues to thrive, it will continue to champion the future of agriculture in the shadow of innovation.
