Digital transformation is changing the way we farm.

In recent years, the agricultural sector has paid special attention to and invested in digital transformation. Thanks to the effective application of technology, many farmers can now monitor their production situation anytime, anywhere with just a mobile phone. This reduces labor, saves costs, allows for proactive pest and disease control, and contributes to increased productivity and economic efficiency.

• Farmers are embracing digital transformation.
• Digital transformation reduces pressure on facilities.
• Digital transformation application to combat IUU fishing.

A friend of the farmer

Appearing in the rice fields of members of the Thanh Son Agricultural Service Cooperative in Vinh My commune since 2022, the "Smart Pest Monitoring Network " has become a reliable friend of farmers. The insect traps operate 24/7, providing forecasts of pest and disease situations in the installed area.

"Smart insect traps" are effective in helping farmers proactively prevent and control pests.

With its light-attracting system, the device attracts and tracks pests. It also provides data on wind speed and rainfall. Importantly, all data and information are updated quickly via a mobile application.

Having directly managed the insect trapping equipment over the years, Mr. Tran Van Ngo, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of Thanh Son Agricultural Service Cooperative, said: "Since the equipment was introduced, people have always proactively monitored and understood the production situation. The machine also helps farmers minimize the use of pesticides , spraying only the right areas with pests and diseases, using the right type and dosage instead of spraying indiscriminately as before, thus saving costs."

"After three years of use, the rice fields of the cooperative and neighboring farmers no longer suffer from crop damage caused by pests. In particular, I also utilize the pests collected by the machine as feed for my family's fish pond."

Pests will be attracted by the light, helping to assess their density and impact in the area.

The system can monitor most types of pests, distinguishing between natural enemies and harmful organisms. Based on the number of insects attracted, the software analyzes images, density, etc. When a threshold is reached, the system will alert farmers to the time to spray pesticides. This leads to more effective pest control, reducing the number of sprays per crop by 2-3 times, lowering investment costs, and protecting the environment.

Ms. Ngo Thi Thuy Linh, from the Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, commented: "The application of digital transformation helps farmers to promptly and quickly update information on pests, diseases, weather, etc. Currently, along with regular field visits to monitor the 'health status' of the crop, farmers can use smartphones and related applications to update production information anytime, anywhere. In reality, the smart insect trapping system has provided timely information to help farmers effectively carry out forecasting and prediction, reducing production costs compared to before."

Ms. Ngo Thuy Linh, a Master's degree holder, and farmers "read" the results from insect traps.

Information on pest situations is continuously updated through an easy-to-understand application, making it easy to implement control measures.

Provide timely seasonal information.

Another solution to help farmers alleviate their worries about relying on the weather and clouds through mobile devices is the Agricultural Weather Bulletin. Launched in October 2023, basic information on weather forecasts, response scenarios, and necessary recommendations for farming, field management, pest and disease control, and rice and vegetable care are sent to farmers via Zalo messages from the beginning of the month. This allows farmers to stay informed about potential risks during the month.

The September agricultural weather forecast is sent via the Zalo application.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nghia, a member of the Hong Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative (Tuong Thang B hamlet, Vinh Thanh commune), shared: "Each agricultural weather forecast sent on the group's Zalo page includes illustrative images, making it easy for everyone to recognize and understand, thus facilitating effective learning and application. Farmers can follow the information to plan their production and cultivation according to the season. At the same time, this reduces costs, increases productivity, and allows them to proactively cope with unpredictable weather."

Farmers monitor information from the Agricultural Weather Bulletin.

As a member of the Newsletter Development Team, Engineer Do Ai My from the Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection stated: "The agricultural weather bulletin is a digital transformation solution aimed at helping farmers proactively prevent and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change from an early stage and from afar. Through its implementation, the bulletin has proven effective, becoming a 'reliable companion' for farmers. Through the bulletin, farmers can grasp the weather situation to proactively respond to unusual changes and control pests and diseases. This solution helps farmers save costs; based on practical surveys, each crop cycle reduces costs by 100-200 thousand VND per hectare of cultivated land."

Mr. Nguyen Hong Phuc, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of Hong Phat Agricultural Service Cooperative (Vinh Thanh commune), proposed increasing the frequency of agricultural weather bulletins to help farmers proactively plan their production.

Mr. Huynh Minh Nhan, Director of the Provincial Meteorological and Hydrological Station, said: “In addition to sending news via Zalo, we also record the bulletins so that people can listen to them through local loudspeakers or during meetings while working. In the future, with the motto of early and detailed forecasting and warning, the Station will coordinate with other units to increase the number of bulletins, and even issue emergency bulletins when there are unusual weather phenomena, helping people proactively manage production and minimize the risks of natural disasters.”

Trinh Hai

Source: https://baocamau.vn/chuyen-doi-so-thay-doi-cach-lam-nong--a122727.html