Community Agricultural Extension Team: Supporting Farmers in Sustainable Production

Effective operation of community agricultural extension teams (KNCĐ) is one of the criteria for new rural development (criterion 13.5). Accordingly, in recent times, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has implemented many solutions to improve and enhance the operational efficiency of KNCĐ teams in the province.

Tien Giang is one of 13 provinces implementing the pilot project "Improving the effectiveness of agricultural extension activities on the basis of perfecting the model of the Agricultural Extension Team of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ". On that basis, recently, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang province has identified fruit tree material areas in Cai Be, Cai Lay, Tan Phuoc districts and Cai Lay town to participate in the implementation of the above project.

Accordingly, 2 pilot KNCĐ Teams were implemented in My Loi A commune (Cai Be district) and Ngu Hiep commune (Cai Lay district) on the basis of strengthening agricultural extension clubs and 13 KNCĐ Teams in the region.

In addition, Tien Giang province has also determined that the establishment of the KNCĐ Team, in addition to performing tasks according to the project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, is also one of the criteria of the New Rural Construction Criteria, so it is very necessary in the current trend of agricultural development.

Therefore, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang province has guided localities to establish Community Development Teams. Up to now, the whole province has established 117 Community Development Teams/10 districts and towns with 1,138 members (each Community Development Team has 5-10 members, some teams have more than 10 members).

The initial establishment of the KNCĐ Groups has affirmed their position and role as an "extended arm" in agricultural extension activities, transmitting technical information to people quickly and effectively.

The KNCĐ Teams have gradually become an extended "arm" in agricultural extension activities, contributing to the construction of new rural areas (in the photo: Guiding farmers in Phu An commune, Cai Lay district to set up a registration code for durian growing areas).

Cai Be district is one of the localities promoting the establishment of KNCĐ Teams in 24/25 communes and towns on the basis of consolidating previous agricultural extension clubs. In particular, the district was also chosen to build a KNCĐ Team in My Loi A commune associated with the durian raw material production area.

According to Tran Van Trong, Deputy Director in charge of the Cai Be District Agricultural Service Center, the Center has guided the KNCĐ Teams to develop regulations and content of the team's activities, develop an activity plan, participate in building and consulting on the establishment of growing area codes for crops.

In addition to the task of agricultural extension, the KNCĐ Teams in Cai Be district also have consulting, service and technology transfer activities for agricultural production, rural industries, new rural construction, etc., thereby supporting farmers in economic development, contributing to the completion of criterion 13.5 in the set of criteria for new rural construction.

According to the assessment of the Provincial Agricultural Extension and Services Center (abbreviated as the Agricultural Extension Center), in addition to the achieved results, the clubs and the KNCĐ Groups still face certain difficulties. In particular, the KNCĐ Groups have just been established, so some localities are still confused and do not really understand the benefits and operation methods of the group...

Therefore, in recent times, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has had many activities to improve skills and methods of agricultural extension in order to transform agricultural extension activities in the new situation, training the KNCĐ force in the digital agricultural economic development team associated with new rural construction.

From the budget of the National Target Program on New Rural Development, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has conducted 6 training courses (40 people/class), training (TOT, TOF) on capacity building for the Community Development Team, for agricultural officers in the province and the Community Development Teams in 4 districts and towns in the fruit tree material area (Cai Be, Cai Lay, Tan Phuoc districts and Cai Lay town).

According to Director of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center Nguyen Tan Quoc, participating in the training course, local agricultural extension officers were able to exchange information on agricultural economics, circular agriculture, digital agriculture, agricultural product value chains; orientations for transforming agricultural extension activities to suit the new situation; the role and tasks of the Agricultural Extension Team in developing the collective economy and building new rural areas; market analysis and building agricultural product value chains.

These are the core "nuclei" that help Tien Giang Agriculture Department train and guide local KNCĐ Teams to contribute to completing the project's goals and building new rural areas.

CAO THANG

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