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Empowering the Unseen: How AI and Agroforestry are Transforming Rural Lives in the Philippines

Grammy Award winner Apl.de.ap, co-founder of the Black Eyed Peas, shared his compelling story at Web Summit Vancouver 2026, highlighting his transition from music to a profound mission. He recounted growing up in poverty in the Philippines, without electricity, and his mother’s sacrifice as an overseas foreign worker. His early life instilled in him the value of soil and hard work.

Apl.de.ap also spoke about his legal blindness due to nystagmus, which presented significant educational challenges. This disability, however, became an opportunity. Adopted by an American family through the Pearls Buck Foundation, he moved to the U.S., eventually partnering with Will.i.am to form the Black Eyed Peas.

Now, Apl.de.ap is dedicated to agriculture, aiming to lift farmers out of poverty. He emphasizes that these individuals, who feed the world, are often forgotten and lack access to essential resources and connectivity. His vision is to develop technology specifically for their rural realities, ensuring remote communities are no longer invisible.

Uynghiem Ngo, co-founder of Earth Sama, detailed their ambitious project: planting 380 million mixed fruit and timber trees, including 100 million coconut trees, with Apl.de.ap as a coconut ambassador. This initiative creates food forests across the Philippines’ 7,000 islands, leveraging Edge AI technology operating directly on mobile phones.

The AI system provides structured support in over 1,000 local dialects. Farmers track planting and growth, ensuring transparency. Uynghiem Ngo explained their work with “last mile communities,” employing Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) with indigenous groups. Data sovereignty is ensured by keeping information on the phone, shared only with explicit consent. Apl.de.ap’s role as an indigenous leader is vital for fostering trust.

Agriculture’s vast economy remains largely unstructured digitally, relying on cash and paper, hindering farmers’ access to financial services. The project aims to transform farmers into micro-entrepreneurs by providing simple tools. Leveraging existing habits like voice notes and photo-taking for receipts, they can record their business and gain access to rural credit.

Both Apl.de.ap and Uynghiem Ngo expressed commitment to expanding this model worldwide, using Apl.de.ap’s platform to spread awareness. Apl.de.ap views this 25-year project as his next major accomplishment, driven by the belief that no community, farmer, or child should be invisible, a principle deeply rooted in his own life experience.