(VAN) – Agricultural extension activities have contributed to the transformation of agriculture from a production mindset to an economic mindset, taking economic efficiency with the environment.
The National Center for Agricultural Extension’s director visits a model of planting grass for cattle in Ha Giang as winter feed. Photo: Tung Dinh.
Change production thinking for farmers
In 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development assigned the National Agricultural Extension Center to manage 162 central agricultural extension projects. Accordingly, the Center has guided and urged the lead organizations and project managers to ensure the progress and requirements of the project, the implementation results reaching 98.9% of the approved plan and convincing project demonstration.
The Center has built 466 demonstration models, on a scale of over 4,000 hectares of plants of all kinds; 20,320 cattle and poultry; 138ha and 8,473m3 of water surface for aquaculture; installing a system of storage tunnels and electronic diaries for 24 offshore fishing vessels; application of mechanization in rice production with a scale of over 400ha; over 12,500 households participated in model building, over 28,800 turns of people received technical training, 25,000 turns of participants participated in preliminary, summary conferences, visits to replicate the model.
Central agricultural extension projects have focused on some key crops, animals, key regions and commodity production to realize the development goals of the industry in the direction of integrating multi-values in agricultural products, intellectualizing farmers, professionalizing agriculture and building professional farmers, contributing to implementing the national target program of sustainable poverty reduction, poverty reduction, and new rural construction.
In addition, agricultural extension projects have contributed to increasing the industry’s value, building organic and safe production areas. The project’s products are guaranteed in terms of quality, food safety and hygiene, according to organic standards, VietGAP … associated with labels, brands, and packaging, helping to increase value, and improve efficiency, typically projects on organic broiler farming, VietGAP certified vegetable production, indigenous rice production for OCOP development in the northern mountainous region; agricultural extension models are associated with building models of community agricultural extension groups, linking production between cooperatives and cooperative groups with businesses along the value chain to consume output products for farmers.
Agricultural extension models and projects are closely associated with commodity production areas and oriented towards organic, ecological and sustainable agricultural production. Photo: TL.
Demonstration models have confirmed and proven the effectiveness and superiority when applying technological advances to production, associated with standards and standards for product quality assessment, and convinced farmers. People and businesses continue to maintain and replicate the model for mass production. In particular, the models have been associated with planting area codes for some species of trees, such as passion fruit, avocado, durian, etc., contributing to improving the value of the raw material area.
Move to public-private partnership
In 2022, the National Center for Agriculture and Rural Development in collaboration with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the German Agricultural Association (DLG), organized to promote the industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas the international event AGRITECHNICA ASIA Live 2022 with the theme “Synchronous mechanization towards sustainable agriculture” (from August 24 to 26, 2022 in Can Tho City).
This is an important international event bearing the imprint of the agriculture and rural development sector in 2022 to promote sustainable agricultural farming through the application of advanced and modern technological solutions, including the following activities: Demonstration models, machinery and equipment in the field at the Mekong Delta Rice Institute; display and exhibit technology, agricultural machinery, modern mechanized equipment and OCOP products with 12 international exhibition booths, 46 domestic exhibition booths participating in the event; organize international seminars and seminars, cooperation signing ceremony…
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan attended the international event AGRITECHNICA ASIA Live 2022 with the theme “Synchronous mechanization towards sustainable agriculture”. Photo: Le Hoang Vu.
Also in 2022, the National Agriculture and Rural Development Center was assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to assume the prime responsibility for implementing the project from the support capital of JICA with a budget of US$ 3 million, deployed from 2022 to 2026 in 7 provinces and cities: Hanoi, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, and Son La with the main activities of strengthening human resources for the agricultural extension system, cooperatives, stakeholders in the value chain to promote sustainable production of safe crops in the project areas.
The Center has established central and local project management boards, promulgated job positions and working regulations of the Management Boards, developed a plan, and coordinated with the JICA expert group to organize project activities.
In addition, implementing the policy of socializing agricultural extension activities in 2022, the National Agriculture Center has cooperated with some organizations, corporations, domestic and foreign enterprises such as FAO, DLG, HSI, Corporations Binh Dien Fertilizer, Bayer Vietnam Company, GCP Global Coffee Forum, Grobest Co., Ltd., Syngenta… cooperate in implementing many activities to strengthen capacity, improve capacity and qualifications for promotion farmers at all levels; foster, train and support building models associated with the development of raw material areas, building brands and brands, eradicating poverty, building new rural areas.
According to the Center for National Agriculture and Rural Development, in 2022, many factors have negatively affected production, such as unstable supply and demand of the agricultural market and unplanned output, leading to excess production, varying agricultural product prices, high prices of materials, fertilizers, and gasoline… so implementing agricultural extension activities faces many difficulties.
