Digital transformation in agricultural cooperatives - From digital records to smart governance

In the context of agricultural products increasingly requiring transparency, quality and clear traceability, digital transformation (DTS) has become a mandatory direction for cooperatives (HTX) if they want to participate deeply in the value chain and meet market requirements. No longer just stopping at applying machinery or equipment, DTS in agricultural cooperatives now includes changing management thinking, operation, recording and data management. From seemingly small habits such as keeping production diaries, cooperatives in Tay Ninh province are gradually forming a smart management system, creating an important foundation to improve competitiveness.

Changing production thinking

At My Thanh Agricultural Cooperative (My Thanh commune), digital transformation did not start with complex software but from changing farmers' recording habits. Previously, each member recorded their own production diary in a notebook, sometimes missing or forgetting to record, making it difficult for the cooperative to synthesize information when purchasing enterprises or management agencies requested traceability records.

Things only really changed when the cooperative applied FaceFarm software to record electronic diaries. With just a few operations on the phone, farmers can fully update the time of sowing, fertilizing, spraying, irrigation, etc. All data is securely stored and can be retrieved at any time.

My Thanh Agricultural Cooperative staff check members' production diaries on the FaceFarm app, ensuring data is fully and transparently recorded.

Director of My Thanh Cooperative Nguyen Quoc Cuong said: “At first, many members were still worried, especially the elderly who were used to using pen and paper. However, when they were instructed and saw the practical benefits, they proactively changed. Before using the electronic diary, the Cooperative spent a whole week collecting production records for businesses. Now it only takes a few minutes to have complete information. In particular, businesses trust us more when we provide transparent data. Agricultural products sell for higher prices, and farmers who follow the correct procedures also feel excited.”

My Thanh Cooperative is currently linked with supermarkets and food companies in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces, helping members' agricultural products to be consumed stably and sold at higher prices.

Staff of My Thanh Agricultural Cooperative process and classify agricultural products according to safe procedures, ensuring quality before delivering them to purchasing businesses.

At Muoi Hai Safe Vegetable Cooperative (Rach Kien commune), keeping an electronic diary is considered one of the mandatory conditions when joining the cooperative. With nearly 20 hectares of vegetables, mainly leafy vegetables (cabbages), the cooperative is using Misa software to digitize the entire production process, from planting, fertilizing, caring to harvesting, with reminders of pesticide isolation time and warnings of overdose.

Director of Muoi Hai Safe Vegetable Cooperative Le Van Giay shared: “After switching to electronic diary, partners highly appreciated the clarity and easy verification in the production process. They are completely assured when importing large quantities of goods because every stage has electronic traces. Thanks to that, orders are more stable, and agricultural product output is also more sustainable.”

Currently, the products of the Muoi Hai Safe Vegetable Cooperative are mainly consumed at Binh Dien market (Ho Chi Minh City). In addition, the Cooperative also directly purchases about 30% of the vegetable output of its members to sell at supermarkets and safe vegetable stores at prices 1,000-2,000 VND/kg higher than the market price.

The effectiveness of the electronic diary is not only in the convenience of management but also in changing the production mindset. Ms. Le Thi Hong - a member of My Thanh Cooperative, shared: "The application is easy to use, with step-by-step instructions. If I record everything completely, the Cooperative will have accurate data at the end of the season to work with businesses, and my agricultural products will be sold at a higher price."

Staff of the Muoi Hai Safe Vegetable Cooperative monitor and manage production data via Misa software, serving traceability and production coordination.

Similarly, Ms. Do Thi Kim Thoa - a member of the Muoi Hai Safe Vegetable Cooperative, said that thanks to using the electronic diary, she is more aware of complying with the time of drug isolation and using the correct dosage of materials. The application also has reminder and warning features, helping farmers produce more safely, limiting errors in the care process. "Before, I did it out of habit, sometimes accidentally using drugs close to the harvest date. Now that there is a warning system, I feel more secure. The vegetables are of better quality and sell for a higher price," Ms. Thoa said.

By recording correctly, completely and promptly, cooperatives have become much more proactive in the process of tracing the origin. When enterprises request documents, cooperatives do not have to spend time collecting books from each member but only need to export reports from the system. This helps to shorten the time, increase reliability and especially create a competitive advantage for cooperatives in the context of the market increasingly emphasizing transparency.

Towards smart governance

Digital transformation in agricultural cooperatives does not stop at electronic diaries but is moving towards smart management models. Many cooperatives in the province have started using software to manage members, coordinate production by region, manage material warehouses, track revenue and link data with purchasing enterprises. Although still on a small scale, these models show great potential for expansion in the future.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Dinh Xuan, digital transformation in cooperatives is a long-term process, cannot be rushed and cannot be done in a hurry. The provincial Department of Agriculture is implementing many activities to support cooperatives, from training on application usage skills to supporting the development of growing area codes, packaging facility codes and connecting cooperatives with e-commerce platforms. This is considered a fundamental solution to help cooperatives access a larger market, while affirming their reputation through transparent traceability.

Currently, some rice and vegetable cooperatives have initially formed a digital linkage model between farmers - cooperatives - enterprises, in which the cooperative plays the role of data management, farmers record the correct process and enterprises use that data for purchasing. This model not only increases product value but also creates sustainable connections between the subjects in the chain.

In the coming time, the provincial Department of Agriculture will continue to train the digital transformation human resources at the grassroots level, each cooperative must have at least one full-time staff. In addition, farmers - the force that determines the success of digital transformation in agriculture will be supported with training and skills in using mobile devices to accurately record production logs.

Looking at the reality at My Thanh Cooperative and Muoi Hai Safe Vegetable Cooperative, it can be seen that digital transformation brings many benefits: Farmers produce more safely, cooperatives manage more effectively and businesses feel more secure when purchasing. Many businesses prioritize purchasing from cooperatives with complete electronic records, because of transparency, helping to reduce risks and improve product quality. This opens up great opportunities for local agricultural products to access large markets, not only domestically but also for export.

Digital transformation in agricultural cooperatives is gradually forming a smart production ecosystem, in which all activities are based on data. From digital recording to smart management, the journey, although still full of difficulties, is an inevitable path if cooperatives want to develop sustainably in the integration period./.

Thanh Tung

Source: https://baolongan.vn/chuyen-doi-so-trong-hop-tac-xa-nong-nghiep-tu-ghi-chep-so-den-quan-tri-thong-minh-a207938.html