Opening a breakthrough direction for agriculture in the Mekong Delta

In the context of the Mekong Delta being affected by climate change, according to experts, the application of advanced technology will not only help the Mekong Delta agricultural sector increase productivity and quality of agricultural products, but also create a sustainable value chain. The transition to smart agriculture promises to create a breakthrough in the region's sustainable and prosperous agricultural development.

Inevitable trend

According to experts and scientists, the Mekong Delta has affirmed its strategic position by becoming one of the important deltas in agricultural production with outstanding products such as rice, fruits, seafood, etc. However, the Mekong Delta is also facing unprecedented challenges such as serious impacts from climate change, increasingly complex drought and salinity, and land degradation during cultivation.

Application of drones for agricultural production in Can Tho city.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Trung Tinh, Rector of Can Tho University, said: The traditional agricultural production model has revealed many limitations and is no longer strong enough to meet the urgent requirements of food security, sustainable development and value addition in the global supply chain, especially competitiveness with neighboring countries. In this context, the development of smart agriculture is not only an inevitable trend, but also a strategic solution to ensure a safe and sustainable food supply, effectively adapt to climate change and enhance international competitiveness. This is the inevitable path for the Mekong Delta to maximize its potential and make a worthy contribution to the overall development of the country.

Sharing the same view, according to Associate Professor Dr. Le Van Vang, Principal of the School of Agriculture, Can Tho University, while traditional production cannot meet the goals of sustainable development, smart agriculture has opened a new direction. Smart agriculture increases production efficiency, reduces labor force, and adapts well to climate change. Smart agriculture is agriculture that applies advanced technologies such as Big data, IoT (Internet of Things), GPS (global positioning system), AI (artificial intelligence) ... to production on the principle of integration, in the form of smart production, ensuring efficiency and meeting the requirements of sustainable development.

Expectations of a breakthrough

In the trend of digital transformation, the Mekong Delta applies artificial intelligence and drones in agricultural production to help farmers reduce costs and increase productivity. And an important step forward is the national Digital Twin (DT) project for smart agriculture in the Mekong Delta.

Digital twins are increasingly being used by cities around the world as a development tool. CT Group has developed a 15-layer National Digital Twin - DT15 based on the integration of many new technologies. Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Director of the National Digital Twin (DT15) project under CT Group, said: The National Digital Twin has 36 features for smart agriculture such as simulation of crop forecasting and agricultural productivity; early detection of pests; smart traceability of agricultural products... Applications such as AI, UAV, IoT and satellite images to monitor crops, plant health, optimize irrigation - fertilizer, provide cross-sectoral data for land planning, water management and ensure sustainable food security. This will cause smart agriculture to explode in the Mekong Delta in the coming time such as reducing input costs, increasing productivity dozens of times. Accordingly, farmers benefit from high income, less hardship, less risk, can get rich on their fields, helping green transformation. At the same time, the government has accurate data for planning, disaster response, environmental management and brand building.

“The DT15 project with more than 200 features helps transform the Mekong Delta into a major smart agricultural center in the region and the world, successfully building a model of cooperation between the government, businesses and farmers. From there, a comprehensive smart agricultural value chain is formed,” Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thanh Binh affirmed.

Mr. Tran Kim Chung, Chairman of CT Group, said: “Can Tho University is the key to knowledge and technology, so we cooperate to bring the latest technologies such as the National Digital Twin to apply to agriculture in the Mekong Delta. We are committed to devoting all our efforts to implementing the DT15 project, the National Digital Twin in the Mekong Delta as a trigger for smart agriculture. This is the foundation for us to develop smart agriculture on a completely new scale.”

Promising to create a breakthrough for the development of smart and modern agriculture in the Mekong Delta, CT Group and Can Tho University signed many strategic cooperation agreements. Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Trung Tinh shared: As a training and research center of the region, we always adhere to the State - School - Enterprise cooperation model. In particular, the strategic relationship with CT Group opens up many new directions such as training high-quality human resources, cooperating in research and technology transfer, developing UAVs - agricultural robots, semiconductors, carbon credits and innovation with AI. This is the foundation for forming new training majors, connecting students with practice, and supporting human resource development for the whole region. At the same time, Can Tho University also has a specific roadmap for training high-quality human resources for smart agriculture and high-tech agriculture.

Article and photos: T. TRINH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/mo-huong-dot-pha-cho-nong-nghiep-dbscl-a191325.html