Pioneering the application of digital technology in agricultural production

Yen Duong Cooperative, Thuong Minh Commune, Thai Nguyen Province, is gradually becoming a model agricultural collective economic unit, leading in sustainable agricultural development, applying high technology and building a value chain from production to consumption. The application of digital technology is the "golden key" to help innovate the model of farming, management and consumption of agricultural products for the Cooperative.

Representatives of Yen Duong Cooperative worked with the Dutch expert team to collect soil, water, and plant leaf samples for testing.

Thuong Minh was established on the basis of merging 3 communes Chu Huong, Yen Duong, My Phuong, with strengths in ecological agricultural production and services. Main products include rice, cassava, squash, and traditional handicrafts and brocade weaving of the Dao and Tay ethnic groups.

Established in June 2018, Yen Duong Cooperative has contributed to consolidating and promoting sustainable agricultural production, restoring and developing traditional values ​​of agricultural and forestry products. With the support of the government, the Cooperative has gradually affirmed its position, supported members in production and business activities, created jobs and increased income, contributing to the local socio -economic development.

To date, the cooperative has 20 official members, more than 500 associated household items, creating jobs for 8 regular workers and 10-15 seasonal workers. The cooperative also links agricultural product consumption with 14 cooperatives, production household groups and 4 neighboring cooperatives, providing products such as fragrant squash, arrowroot, rice. Currently, Yen Duong cooperative has 4 products achieving OCOP from 3-4 stars, such as: arrowroot vermicelli, fragrant squash tea, fragrant squash, and sticky rice.

Pumpkin products of Yen Duong Cooperative.

The cooperative has applied agricultural production management software including: Electronic production diary for crops such as fragrant green squash, wild bitter melon, sticky rice, galangal, crop management, fertilizers, pesticides through software; helping the cooperative monitor stages such as planting, caring, harvesting, distributing and consuming products; saving costs and time; easily providing transparent information to partners and consumers; statistics and analysis to help the cooperative management board come up with reasonable strategies.

In addition, the cooperative has built a GIS system that integrates information on geographical location, cultivated area, crop types, production processes, output, soil, climate and infrastructure.

This system improves the efficiency of management and development of modern agricultural production, effectively serving production and business activities, traceability and geographical indications.

At the same time, Yen Duong Cooperative also focuses on digital transformation in introducing, promoting and selling agricultural products through e-commerce platforms such as Postmart, Sendo, Shopee, Zalo OA, Facebook; building Fanpage, livestreaming sales, connecting with consumers.

The cooperative also applies digital technology to management and sales administration through document management systems, electronic invoices, electronic contracts, and digital signatures. The use of social networks and basic AI tools helps to quickly manage images, media content, and customer communication.

Applying digital technology has brought positive results to Yen Duong Cooperative, such as: Increasing productivity and reducing operating costs. Enhancing customer confidence thanks to transparent information. Expanding online sales channels, helping to increase production scale, product output, selling price and revenue by 10-20%. specific: Fragrant pumpkin reaches 500-700 tons/year, fragrant pumpkin tea 5-7 tons/year, vermicelli 55-70 tons/year, sticky rice 30-50 tons/year.

OCOP products achieving 3 - 4 stars of Yen Duong Cooperative.

Sharing about the challenges, Ms. Ma Thi Ninh, Director of Yen Duong Cooperative, said: The process of applying digital technology is still slow, investment resources are small, and technology level has not kept up with the trend. Conditions for accessing digital transformation are still limited, lacking electronic equipment with internet connection. The rate of well-trained management and trade promotion staff is still low. Digital transformation support policies for cooperatives are still few, integrated, and lack uniformity. The cost of investing in technology and maintaining booths on e-commerce platforms is still high, and production management methods are still manual.

To realize the expectation of becoming a modern agricultural cooperative model, typical in the application of digital technology, Yen Duong Cooperative will continue to promote the construction and implementation of a comprehensive agricultural production management software system. Establish a geographic database (GIS) to manage raw material areas, cultivated areas, crop varieties, serve traceability, issue planting area codes and develop geographical indications.

Digitize member data, financial records, contracts, production logs. Connect with e-commerce platforms, build websites, fanpages, livestream to promote products to expand domestic and international markets.

Applying AI in building content and images to promote brands. Continuing to modernize production, management and business processes, contributing to improving productivity, product quality and competitiveness in the integration period.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/lanh-te/202507/tien-phong-ung-dung-cong-nghe-so-trong-san-xuat-nong-nghiep-3b0139b/