Dak Lak Agricultural Extension accompanies farmers

After the merger, Dak Lak province has the third largest natural area in the country (over 18,000 km²) and a population of over 3.3 million people. Located at the intersection of the Central Highlands and the Central Coast, Dak Lak possesses ideal conditions for developing high-quality agriculture .

Established in 1993, through many stages of development, each step forward of Dak Lak Agriculture sector has been marked by the companionship of the agricultural extension force. Not only bringing knowledge and techniques to each garden, barn, and pond, agricultural extension officers also directly "eat, live, and work" with farmers to test and replicate effective models.

Such companionship has expanded opportunities for farmers, cooperatives, and enterprises to access high-quality plant and animal varieties; apply advanced farming techniques, thereby improving production efficiency, maintaining food security, and affirming the position of many key products of the province in the market.

Leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment and the Dak Lak Provincial Agricultural Extension Center visited the new coffee variety model in Tan An Ward. Photo: TTKN

With the support of the Dak Lak Agricultural Extension Center, the province's total livestock and poultry herd remains stable at over 22.7 million heads; meat output is over 300,000 tons; over 550 million eggs/year. Programs for improving cattle herds, artificial insemination, and biosafety farming are widely implemented, helping to increase income for farmers. In addition, Dak Lak is also the largest beekeeping locality in the country with over 220,000 herds, honey export output reaches 15,000 tons/year.

In the context of strong digital transformation and international integration, Dak Lak agricultural extension continues to be a trusted "companion" of farmers.

In the field of fisheries, the Agricultural Extension sector promotes the shift from exploitation to intensive farming of high-value seafood such as tuna, lobster, white-leg shrimp, cobia, and grouper. In 2024, the province's output of exploited and farmed seafood will reach more than 107,000 tons, of which lobster will reach 2,260 tons; ocean tuna will reach 4,000 tons/year.

In particular, in the field of cultivation, the role of agricultural extension forces is even more evident. Through training courses, building demonstration models, and guiding safe production processes, agricultural extension has helped farmers boldly apply technical advances, improve productivity and quality of agricultural products. Thanks to that, many of the province's key crops have reached the "billion dollar" level, such as: coffee with an annual output of more than 559,000 tons; durian 390,000 tons; rice 1.32 million tons... opening the door for Dak Lak agricultural products to conquer the world market.

In the context of strong digital transformation and international integration, Dak Lak agricultural extension continues to be a trusted "companion" of farmers. Not only training and transferring techniques, the agricultural extension force also promotes the application of high-tech agriculture and smart agriculture; builds sustainable production models adapting to climate change; supports farmers in accessing market information and new policies to improve the competitiveness of local agricultural products in the market.

The agricultural extension force has also become an important bridge in building agricultural product brands, organizing production according to linked chains, and expanding export markets. Along with the policy of developing comprehensive agriculture, effectively exploiting the advantages of "golden forests, silver seas", many advanced solutions such as: saving irrigation, managing crops with digital data, electronic traceability... have been widely applied, contributing to increasing the value of agricultural products, raising income and strengthening consumer confidence.

Application of tissue culture technology in plant variety production in Dak Lak. Photo : TTKN

Faced with new opportunities and challenges, the provincial Agricultural Extension Department has determined that it is necessary to innovate its thinking in its methods of operation. That is, to shift from agricultural production thinking to agricultural economics. The focus is on changing the methods and objects of operation, aiming to accompany farms, cooperatives, and enterprises to form a sustainable production chain from production, processing to consumption and export. In other words, the Agricultural Extension Department needs to shift from single-sector development to multi-sector integration, from single value to multi-value integration.

Agricultural extension guides people to diversify products through deep processing and production according to standards, while promoting the application of digital technology, socializing agricultural extension activities and strengthening cooperation with domestic and foreign organizations and enterprises to mobilize resources and create combined strength.

In the coming time, the agricultural extension force will continue to inherit the achievements, proactively advise and effectively implement assigned tasks, contributing to the sustainable development of Dak Lak agriculture, maintaining its pivotal role in the process of industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas. With a new approach, agricultural extension is not only a technical support force but also a orienting, guiding and connecting force, helping farmers integrate more deeply into the market economy, while creating a solid foundation for agricultural value chains to develop sustainably and compete in the international market.

Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dak Lak province

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202508/khuyen-nong-dak-lak-dong-hanh-cung-nong-dan-3a80d59/