Farmers 'keep pace' with digital transformation

The Youth Union of Binh Tinh commune, Tan Tru district, is supporting farmers in selling their products on e-commerce platforms.

1. In line with the digital transformation trend, farmers in many areas of the province are proactively applying scientific and technological advancements to production to reduce labor costs and improve agricultural productivity and quality. Automated irrigation systems, automatic feed dispensing systems, and smart monitoring and management systems are no longer uncommon in many farms. This innovation has brought a modern look to the province's agriculture .

Mr. Tran Nguyen Thanh Do (manager of Botanic Farm clean vegetable production facility, Ward 7, Tan An City) shared: “To reduce management time and effort and optimize labor costs, we invested over 2 billion VND in greenhouses and IoT technology to grow 1,000 ^{m² of} hydroponic vegetables. The IoT system can flexibly control many functions such as fans, misting, sun shading, or water pumps to care for seedlings even when we are not present in the garden.”

Farmers are increasingly aware of the benefits of applying technology to agricultural production. To promote a more effective transformation, the Department of Agriculture and Environment actively supports farmers in developing, transferring, and replicating advanced technology application models. These models are applied to rice, dragon fruit, lemons, vegetables, and in beef cattle and brackish water shrimp farming. This has created a breakthrough in agricultural production.

To date, the rice-growing area has 63,988 hectares applying high technology, the vegetable growing area has 2,148 hectares, the dragon fruit growing area has 5,849 hectares, and the lemon growing area has 4,114 hectares. For beef cattle farming, five pilot models have been implemented so far. In the shrimp farming area, the area applying high technology in pilot models is 98.84/100 hectares compared to the plan for the 2021-2025 period. Farmers have replicated the model on approximately 1,172 hectares/2,146 households. In addition, the province has six enterprises recognized as high-tech agricultural enterprises.

2. Beyond production, farmers are also focusing on applying digital technology to the consumption of agricultural products. E-commerce platforms and websites have become effective channels connecting farmers with consumers and businesses. One farmer who boldly applies digital technology to her business is Ms. Le Thi Mai (Binh Tinh commune, Tan Tru district) with her Nguyen Lu Sophora japonica flower tea brand, which has achieved OCOP 3-star certification.

Since the end of 2023, Mrs. Mai's family's Sophora japonica flower tea has become widely known. Instead of maintaining the traditional wholesale method, Mrs. Mai decided to expand her distribution channels through e-commerce platforms to reach a larger customer base. Despite her advanced age, Mrs. Mai persistently learns new knowledge and technological skills to apply to her business.

Ms. Mai said: “Previously, I did business locally. However, as demand from customers further away increased, many people wanted to buy products but didn't know where to find them. So, the Farmers' Association of the commune, in coordination with the Youth Union, supported me in expanding my sales channels through e-commerce platforms. Initially, I was unfamiliar with the process, but thanks to the dedicated guidance of the Youth Union, I can now perform the basic operations.”

To support Ms. Mai, the Binh Tinh Commune Youth Union helped her design a sales website, guided her on how to list products on e-commerce platforms, and promoted her products at trade fairs and seminars, etc. Through this, she was able to reach many potential partners and expand her market.

According to Do Tan Luc, Secretary of the Youth Union of Binh Tinh commune, Tan Tru district: “Recognizing that farmers are still limited in promoting and building brands for their products, the Youth Union proactively approached and directly guided people on basic sales techniques and supported them in designing images. This created favorable conditions for people to easily promote their products on e-commerce platforms.”

In the context of economic integration, digital commerce is an inevitable trend in modern agriculture. E-commerce not only helps farmers expand their markets but also gradually changes traditional production and business methods, leading to higher economic efficiency.

Thien Ngoc

Source: https://baolongan.vn/nong-dan-bat-nhip-chuyen-doi-so-a197663.html