Bringing digital technology into agriculture

In 2021, Ms. Ninh's family invested in a smart irrigation system to care for melons grown in a greenhouse. By 2024, the irrigation system was upgraded, worth nearly 700 million VND, allowing users to digitally program fertilizer and nutrition standards to care for melons at each stage.

With just a simple operation installed on the smartphone application, Mr. Nguyen Van Thong, an agricultural engineer in charge of technical care for Ms. Ninh's melon garden, can adjust all activities from mixing fertilizers and pesticides according to the formula to spraying water on each garden. Mr. Thong said: Normally, farmers will mix fertilizers manually, then dissolve them in water and pump them into the nozzle system. This is an estimate, the nutritional content is not accurate, and it takes a lot of work. When using the smart irrigation system, we only need 3 separate containers of phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium and a water tank. After the phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium are dissolved in each container by the mixer, I will use my phone to set the technical parameters according to the appropriate ratio for each stage of care for the melon. On that basis, when pressing the activation button from the phone, the irrigation system will automatically adjust the content of phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium along with water, then directly pump it into the nozzle system to water each tree. With this method, the nutritional content is aligned with high precision, helping the plant grow well.

Ms. Tran Thi Ninh (right) introduces her family's high-tech fertilizer irrigation system.

Not only can the fertilizer and pesticide be adjusted via smartphone, the greenhouse is also equipped with a temperature and humidity sensor system in the garden. “The machine is set to allowable temperature and humidity. In hot weather conditions, the temperature rises above the standard index, then the sensor will transfer information and data to the control center. After receiving the information, the smart system will automatically perform the necessary operations such as pulling the curtain to reduce the sunlight to reduce the heat. Or when it rains and the humidity is high, the fan system will automatically fan to keep the garden airy,” Mr. Thong added.

Ms. Tran Thi Ninh (inside) introduces high quality melon products when cared for with digital technology fertilization machines.

Developing the agricultural economy in a modern direction, promoting the application of science and digital technology in production is the trend of farmers in Chon Thanh town. The high-tech melon growing model of Ms. Ninh's family is the largest in Chon Thanh and applies modern technology to bring high economic efficiency. We have built a plan to organize for officials and members of the ward's farmer association to visit and learn about the model.

Ms. TRAN THI MY HUONG, Vice President of Minh Hung Ward Farmers' Association

By taking scientific care through digital technology, the melon gardens of all ages grown in the greenhouse of Ms. Ninh's family all have good vitality; pests and diseases are limited and minimized. In particular, the precision in nutritional care has helped the melons grow to the right size, with thick nets, high nutritional content, and the fruit does not crack. Ms. Ninh said that the yield of honeydew and yellow melons that her family is growing is an average of about 150 tons/1.6 ha/year; after deducting expenses, the revenue is more than 1.6 billion VND. "Currently, the family's melon products are being supplied to a number of large companies and clean vegetable, fruit and vegetable stores, restaurants and hotels in Binh Duong, Ho Chi Minh City and Chon Thanh town, with stable selling prices at a high level" - Ms. Ninh shared more.

Thanks to investing in modern technology and applying digitalization in production, Ms. Ninh's melon growing model has reduced labor costs and achieved high economic efficiency. According to Ms. Ninh, her family's melon products have met VietGAP standards. In the near future, she will expand the area to 5 hectares, continue to invest in this digital model, and strive to meet GlobalGAP standards for export.

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/171840/dua-cong-nghe-so-vao-nong-nghiep