Planning new rural clusters and centers with processing technology to increase the value of agricultural products

Experts say that developing cluster models and new rural centers that apply processing technology, smart agriculture and concentrated production spaces is an inevitable direction for modern and sustainable rural development.

On December 8, the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) held a workshop on "Building new rural clusters and centers suitable for the current context".

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quang Thao, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, said: After more than 10 years of implementation, the face of rural areas across the country has changed significantly, economic and social infrastructure has been improved, people's income and living standards have increased, and rural spaces have become more and more spacious. However, the implementation of the two-level model poses requirements for planning the construction of new rural clusters and centers to ensure sustainable development. In particular, planning is always an important foundation, "one step ahead" in building new rural areas, creating a basis for localities to develop projects, programs and development plans.

Dr. Nguyen Hong Hanh, Director of the Institute for Construction and Urban Economics Research, said that planning work in many places is showing shortcomings, especially in management and implementation. Some localities tend to "urbanize the countryside" or concretize villages, leading to the risk of destroying the landscape and losing traditional identity. Many model projects such as cultural houses and houses are applied in a stereotyped manner, lacking harmony between modernity and regional architecture. Newly planned commune centers sometimes fail to take advantage of existing infrastructure such as communal houses and village ponds, causing waste of land and resources.

The reality of “urbanization of the countryside” is widespread due to the mechanism of “exchanging land for infrastructure” and the situation of spontaneous construction. The subdivided houses along the road, the new residential areas with small areas of 100m² do not meet the living and production conditions of agricultural households, causing disruption to the traditional village space. Meanwhile, the model of modern - traditional rural housing, still keeping the garden, pond and barn suitable for production, has only been applied in some places.

In addition, legal regulations in rural planning still have many problems, many projects use old cadastral maps, survey quality is not high; participation of the community and relevant agencies is limited; names and land classification among sectors are not unified, causing difficulties in implementation.

“International experience shows that effective rural development must be associated with technology, ecology and exploitation of cultural values. Japan strongly supports the high-tech agricultural model combined with agricultural tourism; the US maintains large-scale family farms with a high level of automation; France develops suburban spaces towards nature conservation and promotes urban agriculture associated with green belts. These experiences show that rural development needs a comprehensive approach, emphasizing landscape conservation, technology application and community contributions; especially the construction of new rural clusters and centers associated with smart rural areas,” said Dr. Nguyen Hong Hanh.

Dr. Nguyen Duy Luong, Vice President of the Vietnam Horticulture Association, emphasized: After more than a decade of building new rural areas, Vietnam has achieved many comprehensive achievements, but facing new requirements of the industrialization and modernization process, it needs more modern planning thinking. Agricultural labor is decreasing rapidly, production land is shrinking, while high-tech agriculture requires concentrated production areas, synchronous infrastructure and developed logistics services.

Practices in many localities have proven the effectiveness of large-scale production models. In Hai Phong, Duc Chinh commune owns 360 hectares of vegetables, of which 80% of the area is used to grow carrots for export. In Kien Hai commune, the safe agricultural model applying VietGAP, organic, and hydroponics helps products meet the standards for distribution in large supermarkets. Bac Ninh is also a typical example with tens of thousands of hectares of fruit trees, vegetables, and the largest livestock scale in the country.

From these lessons, experts believe that the formation of new rural clusters and centers is an inevitable trend, helping to connect infrastructure, services, processing and organize production systematically. To implement effectively, it is necessary to prioritize investment in key infrastructure; encourage enterprises and cooperatives to participate in large specialized areas; promote human resource training and application of science and technology.

Building new rural areas in the new period is not only about perfecting the planning but also aiming at the long-term goal: forming a modern, green - clean - beautiful living space, preserving cultural identity, increasing income and ensuring social stability. This will be the foundation for agriculture to continue to play its "supporting" role and bring sustainable development to rural areas.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/quy-hoach-cum-trung-tam-nong-thon-moi-gan-cong-nghe-che-bien-nang-gia-tri-nong-san-20251208152326817.htm