Digital agriculture from greenhouses: An open direction for modern agricultural production

The greenhouse farming model is bringing a completely new way of farming: based on digitalization and technology, instead of traditional experience. Producers can monitor crops in real time, control the growing environment and record all input data. The model not only creates cleaner and more stable products, but also helps to increase commercial value, towards modern production standards.

Greenhouses, also known as greenhouses, net houses are the solution to the problem of increasingly extreme weather. Instead of manual watering, water and nutrients are provided by a drip system, based on each stage of plant growth. The environmental control system is operated 24/7, growers can monitor from their phones, and adjust immediately when there are fluctuations. Thanks to that, productivity is always stable, and the rate of pests and diseases is significantly reduced compared to outdoor farming.

Greenhouses are proof that rural agriculture can be completely "upgraded" thanks to technology.

Digitalization is also reflected in management. Each batch of plants is coded, and the care process, fertilizer, and water amount are fully recorded. For each harvest, all data becomes a traceability record. This is an important advantage in the context of consumers demanding transparency, while distribution businesses prioritize products with safety certification. Thanks to the recording system, many households' products are eligible to reach OCOP standards, expanding their consumption capacity through modern channels.

Not only stopping at the production process, the greenhouse model also creates a way of farming that is suitable for sustainable trends. Drip irrigation helps save a significant amount of water; the nutrient control sensor system helps avoid overuse of fertilizers; the greenhouse limits pests and diseases, thus reducing the cost of pesticides. Each element combines to form a green farming cycle: less environmental impact, less risk, but with higher value. This is something that traditional agriculture finds difficult to achieve.

However, implementing a digital agriculture model from greenhouses is not a simple matter. The initial investment cost is large, from the house frame, covering, sensor equipment to the automatic system, which can reach billions of VND. Many other farmers are still hesitant because of the ability to recover capital and the lack of equipment operating skills. A broken pump or faulty sensor can disrupt the entire process, affecting output.

The challenge also lies in the human factor. Digital agriculture requires producers to change their mindset: from working by habit to working by data. Recording production, analyzing nutritional indexes or reading sensor information is no longer "extra", but mandatory work. In many places, farmers are not familiar with operating applications on their phones, do not see the value of digital data, so they apply it half-heartedly and lack sustainability. Without a technical team and proper training, the greenhouse model can easily turn into a costly investment version but operated in the traditional way.

The problem of product consumption is not really complete. Products of the digital agricultural model have quality advantages, but many households still depend on traders or traditional sales channels. Modern markets - from supermarkets, distribution enterprises to e-commerce - require standards, chain links, and brands. If producers do not receive support from cooperatives, localities or enterprises, "going it alone" will make it difficult for the model to break through.

Greenhouses are the solution to the problem of increasingly extreme weather.

However, the greenhouse model shows that when combining technological infrastructure with the determination to innovate, farmers can absolutely produce high-value products that meet market standards. But to replicate, it requires not only the boldness of growers, but also credit support policies, skills training, consumption connections, and most of all, a mindset that considers data as an asset. From production to harvesting, packaging, distribution, and traceability, everything must be linked to the digital value chain.

Digital agriculture from greenhouses is not just about adding a few more devices, but about changing the way of production: more precise, more transparent, more flexible, and more consumer-oriented. That is the way for Vietnamese agriculture to modernize, become competitive, and be sustainable in the future.

Center for Science and Technology Communication

Source: https://mst.gov.vn/lam-nong-nghiep-so-tu-nha-mang-huong-mo-cho-san-xuat-nong-nghiep-hien-dai-19725113015131447.htm