Lesson 3: "Digitizing" Agriculture

Lesson 2: Image Building

The application of science and technological innovation is increasingly being widely adopted in the field of agricultural production, aiming to bring many benefits and increase farmers' income.

A LONG STEP FORWARD

From a practical perspective, the agricultural sector nationwide in general, and Tien Giang province in particular, has shifted from a state of confusion, passivity, and surprise to one of proactiveness, confidence, timeliness, and creativity in resolving obstacles and overcoming difficulties and challenges.

Introducing models of high-tech applications in agricultural production.

One aspect is that the industry has shifted from a defensive, supportive stance to an offensive one, making breakthroughs in several sectors, such as rice and vegetables. Therefore, the role and position of agriculture as a "pillar" is increasingly affirmed, ensuring sufficient supply of food, essential goods for domestic consumption, and firmly guaranteeing national food security.

Not to mention the significant contribution to export value from the fruit and vegetable sector, reaching a record $7.2 billion in 2024, almost double the previous record of $3.81 billion set in 2018. In fact, this is the result of a transformation process involving significant efforts from the sector. Perhaps one of the most notable successes of the agricultural sector is the activation of economic thinking, market thinking, and "digitalization" in many areas.

Lessons learned from the "bumper harvest, low prices" phenomenon have shown that producing less but better yields greater market benefits. Naturally, technological innovation and the application of modern equipment in production have played a significant role in achieving this overall success.

In the overall success of Tien Giang's agricultural sector in recent years, the application of scientific achievements in agriculture has played a significant role in promoting Tien Giang's development, especially after the Provincial Party Committee issued Resolution 06 on September 20, 2011, on the development and application of biotechnology from now until 2015, with a vision to 2020.

In that spirit, over the years, the Department of Science and Technology has organized and implemented more than 100 provincial-level science and technology projects, focusing on the fields of agriculture and rural development, fruit orchards, livestock farming, aquaculture, and small-scale handicraft development; in particular, it has formed many comprehensive support programs for the development of the province's specialty fruit trees, including: Go Cong acerola cherry, Lo Ren Vinh Kim star apple, Tan Lap pineapple, Hoa Loc mango, and Cho Gao dragon fruit.

Alongside conducting scientific research to serve the field of agriculture and rural development, the sector has also focused on supporting business development. Accordingly, the sector has provided loans from the Science and Technology Development Fund to many businesses to implement investment projects to expand production and business, modernize machinery systems, invest in storage facilities and packaging lines for export products; and invest in mechanized land preparation equipment for agricultural production according to GAP standards...

Furthermore, scientific and technological activities supporting brand protection and promotion are also emphasized, such as: Registering collective ownership rights for agricultural specialties of the province such as: Vinh Kim star apple; Tan Lap pineapple; Go Cong cherry; Co Co pomelo; Cho Gao dragon fruit; Ngu Hiep durian; Cho Gao sticky rice; Go Cong melon; My Thanh Nam safe rice; Than Cuu Nghia safe vegetables; Go Cong shrimp paste; Go Cong chicken and eel; Go Cong clam; Mac Bac Kim Son sapodilla....

TOUCH TO CONNECT

The application of science and technology in agricultural production has been emphasized and implemented in many stages in recent years, bringing significant benefits. Furthermore, the application of IoT (Internet of Things) in agricultural production has become an urgent need; not only because of its convenience, but also because it aligns with development trends, especially in light of the impact of the 4.0 revolution.

Demonstrating agricultural production support equipment at the Hau Giang Rice Festival 2023.

In fact, many IoT application models in agricultural production have been implemented both domestically and internationally. For example, IoT applications are used in greenhouse and net house cultivation through systems that monitor environmental parameters such as pH, EC conductivity of hydroponic solutions, temperature, and air humidity; or smart control models for orchards that monitor temperature and air humidity; information on soil moisture is tracked and recorded; labor costs are reduced, productivity is increased, and water consumption is decreased.

In practice, there are also models for increasing productivity using efficient lighting techniques to shorten cultivation time, increase yields by up to 2 times, and improve the quality of fruits and vegetables (color, nutrients). IoT technology in beekeeping for honey production is also applied through sensor systems that allow monitoring of: hive temperature, honey weight, and bee colony activity every 5-10 minutes.

For example, IoT technology is used to monitor the health of dairy cows related to their reproductive cycle and body temperature. Furthermore, IoT technology is being applied in fish and shrimp farming through the installation of sensor systems to measure environmental parameters, allowing for regular monitoring of water temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, ORP, etc., to monitor water quality, helping to reduce fish losses by 40% - 50% and lower labor costs.

Within the province, several models applying IoT to agricultural production have been implemented recently. A few years ago, a project on automated salinity testing at water intake stations for the Go Cong freshwater zone, based on the Internet of Things and cloud computing, was also launched.

The objective of this project is to develop an automated salinity monitoring model at water intake points for the Go Cong Freshwater Area, based on the Internet of Things and cloud computing.

The automated salinity measurement model in this study allows for more accurate salinity measurements because measurements are taken at multiple locations at each water intake point, directly measuring the water source. The study adopts a cloud computing approach, facilitating data sharing and the development of applications that utilize this data.

Furthermore, operating costs are significantly reduced compared to building the data servers in-house. This is considered the first study to apply the Internet of Things and cloud computing platforms to automated salinity monitoring for water sources in Vietnam…

In the coming period, the agricultural sector in Tien Giang province in particular, and the whole country in general, still has much work to do due to market impacts, drought and saltwater intrusion, and even the rapidly occurring trend of digital transformation…

Accordingly, the Tien Giang Department of Agriculture has also set out many tasks and solutions such as: Continuing to implement the Project on Adjusting and Restructuring the Tien Giang Province's Agriculture Sector until 2030 in conjunction with building new rural areas; disease prevention and control; rural economic development… Of course, digitalization in the agricultural sector is also one of the goals set.

Looking at the bigger picture, the agricultural sector nationwide has also boldly embraced the "touch to connect" trend. This involves activating a "digital" mindset in industry management and operation, gradually becoming familiar with collecting, processing, and analyzing data on smart devices.

"Tap to connect" directly to the area and production volume of raw material regions, linked to the planting and farming area codes. "Tap to connect" directly to the progress tracking chart of the "Project for 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030"...

Agriculture in the era of Industry 4.0 is gradually shaping the economic mindset of agriculture, and the thinking about consumer markets is also constantly changing. Only then can the agricultural sector truly deserve to be a solid "pillar" of the economy.

In fact, digital transformation and technological innovation have been and continue to be crucial factors, becoming a major driving force for development. This is no longer just a general trend, but has become the "key" to success in many fields in the coming time. And Tien Giang is also determined to pursue this goal.

THE ANH

(to be continued)

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202505/doi-moi-cong-nghe-thuc-tien-and-hanh-dong-bai-3-so-hoa-nong-nghiep-1043770/