Before the turning point of innovation

Since its establishment in 1993 under Decree 13/CP of the Government on agricultural extension, the Dak Lak agricultural extension system has affirmed its indispensable role in the development of the province's agricultural sector. In the first phase (1993 - 1998), the core task of agricultural extension was to transfer technical advances in new high-yield varieties and cultivation techniques, focusing on food security programs, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, especially in disadvantaged areas and ethnic minority areas.

Through hundreds of demonstration models and tens of thousands of farmers trained each year, agricultural extension has created a revolution in productivity, and the situation of hunger before the harvest season has gradually been overcome. Many programs have changed the face of local agriculture, typically: the hybrid corn program, from 200 hectares of trial production in 1993, by 1998 it had covered 100% of the area, putting Dak Lak (old) in the top of the country in corn. In addition, new varieties of rice, cassava, and high-yield sugarcane have also been rapidly replicated, contributing to bringing the food output of the province (old Dak Lak) to over 1 million tons/year in 2011.

Not only stopping at crops, the program of improving cattle herds with Zebu bulls and artificial insemination has significantly improved the efficiency of livestock farming. Bio-safe and environmentally friendly aquaculture models... have effectively exploited local advantages.

In particular, through international cooperation projects such as DANIDA (Denmark), the agricultural extension staff has been exposed to advanced methods such as participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and farmer field school (FFS). This is an important turning point, helping agricultural extension work shift from transferring what it has to transferring what farmers need, closely following production reality and bringing practical results. It can be said that the traditional agricultural extension model has successfully completed its historical mission, laying a solid foundation for future agricultural commodity production.

Deputy Director of the National Agricultural Extension Center Hoang Van Hong said that Dak Lak has made an important contribution to the overall success of agricultural extension work nationwide. From a place without many outstanding products, the province has now become the "capital" of coffee, pepper, durian... Dak Lak Agricultural Extension has accompanied farmers, helping to form large-scale production areas, applying technical advances to bring high economic value.

The cocoa growing model to improve mixed gardens in ethnic minority areas has been successfully implemented in many localities in Dak Lak.

In the context of the agricultural sector strongly transforming from production thinking to agricultural economics, the role of agricultural extension work becomes increasingly important. This also requires a fundamental change in the thinking and actions of the entire agricultural extension system, because the hand-holding agricultural extension method, mainly focusing on techniques and productivity, is no longer suitable for the stature and development requirements of a multi-value, smart and sustainable agriculture.

Mr. Trinh Duc Minh, Chairman of Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association analyzed: “In the context of deep integration, the role of agricultural extension does not stop at transferring technology, but also has to undertake the function of consulting on production management, connecting markets and ensuring international standards. If not changed, the agricultural extension system will be overshadowed by the technical force of enterprises, leading to the risk of farmers in difficult areas being left behind.”

Faced with that reality, the organizational structure of the Dak Lak Agricultural Extension Center was streamlined and closely followed reality. Notably, 8 regional agricultural extension stations were established and scientifically divided, ensuring coverage of the entire vast area of the new province, from the core communes of the Central Highlands to the eastern coastal communes, with the task of being a bridge to bring science and technology, market information, value chain linkage models and digital transformation to the people. The goal is to support farmers and cooperatives to form large-scale concentrated production areas, meeting export standards for key products such as coffee, durian, lobster, and ocean tuna, contributing significantly to the goal of building Dak Lak into a new growth pole of the region.

According to Mr. Dinh Van Dang, Director of Dak Lak Agricultural Extension Center, the arrangement of the organizational apparatus according to the two-level local government model is an opportunity to restructure the agricultural extension system in the direction of being close to the people, close to the grassroots according to the motto "where there are farmers, there is agricultural extension".

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202509/truoc-buoc-ngoat-doi-moi-64716c8/