Agricultural extension officers - 'specialized and knowledgable'

On September 7, Thai Binh Agricultural Extension Center held a conference summarizing 30 years of Thai Binh agricultural extension activities (1993 - 2023).

Mr Tran Minh Hung, Director of the Thai Binh Agricultural Extension Center, said that on May 29, 1993, the Thai Binh Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 336/QD-UBND to change the name of the Agricultural Research Center to The Agricultural Testing and Extension Center under the Department of Agriculture (now the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development). This marked the formation and development of the Thai Binh Agricultural Extension Center.

Thai Binh Agricultural Extension Center also carries out 16 tasks like the provincial agricultural extension centres, however, due to the specific characteristics of the locality, the Center has 3 additional tasks: testing and selecting plant varieties, livestock, aquatic products, agricultural materials and new technical advances applied in agriculture; store, select, and develop plant, animal, and aquatic breeds with high productivity potential, suitable to local conditions; produce and provide plant varieties, livestock, aquatic products, and agricultural materials to serve market needs.

During the 30 years of formation and development, with many different names, the leadership and staff of Thai Binh Agricultural Extension Center have always united, innovated, and creative, striving to overcome all difficulties and challenges to effectively implement agricultural extension activities in the province. The Center always accompanies and sticks with agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and is a trusted address for farmers in the province.

Right from the beginning of its establishment, the Center has selected high-yielding plant and animal breeds and guides changing production practices to achieve the goal of stabilizing food demand for people in the province. In the period 2003 - 2013, agricultural extension activities served the goal of transforming the structure of crops and livestock; changing production methods and scale to increase value per unit area, and promoting the movement to build fields with an income of VND 50 million/ha.

From 2013 to the present, agricultural extension activities serve the goal of building new rural areas and restructuring the agricultural sector; developing ecological agriculture, effectively and sustainably while aiming towards enhancing added value associated with the link between product consumption and food safety; developing green agriculture, organic agriculture, and circular agriculture based on science and technology and digital transformation to increase income for producers.

Based on the results achieved, in the coming period, the Thai Binh Agricultural Extension Center will focus on strongly innovating the form of organization and agricultural extension activities, Developing electronic agricultural extension, community agricultural extension, and digital transformation to develop effective and sustainable agriculture towards ecological agriculture, modern countryside, civilized farmers. Besides, gradually helps farmers change their thinking from agricultural production to agricultural economic thinking, meeting the requirements of agricultural economic development associated with environmental protection and adaptation to climate change.

By 2030, strive to have 100% of communes have community agricultural extension groups, and 50% of members of community agricultural extension groups will be trained in expertise, especially skills in agricultural extension activities. By 2035, 100% of members of community agricultural extension teams will be trained in expertise and skills, especially in agricultural extension activities.

Mr Hoang Van Hong, Deputy Director of the National Agricultural Extension Center, shared that during the past 30 years, the activities of the Thai Binh agricultural extension system have made important contributions, contributing to positive changes in Thai Binh's agricultural sector, improving the appearance of rural areas, improving the material and spiritual lives of people.

According to Mr. Hong, currently, Vietnam's agricultural industry is in the transition stage from agricultural production thinking to agricultural economic thinking, activities going in-depth towards increasing added value and sustainable development. Therefore, each agricultural extension officer must clearly understand his or her role and mission and prepare the best conditions and mindset to participate in implementing the goal of building effective and sustainable agriculture.

Mr. Hong also proposed that the Thai Binh Agricultural Extension Center, based on the achievements it has achieved, should focus on effectively implementing the following tasks in the coming time: Continuously innovate the content and methods of agricultural extension activities, combining traditional agricultural extension and modern technology to improve operational efficiency, meeting the needs of production practices and farmers.

Besides, building and further replicating effective production models, especially agricultural models applying high technology, production organization models, linking along the value chain, safe, organic agriculture, agriculture combined with eco-tourism...

Focus on training and improving qualifications and professional expertise for agricultural extension staff so that each agricultural extension officer is "specialized and knowledgable". At the same time, becoming consultants to help people, cooperatives, and cooperative groups produce and do business effectively, becomes a bridge between science and technology and production, between production and the market.

In addition, strengthen connections in the agricultural extension system, regularly follow the actual production situation, and accompany farmers according to the motto "where there are farmers, there is an agricultural extension".

At the conference, the National Agricultural Extension Center awarded certificates of merit to 5 collectives and 6 individuals from the Thai Binh agricultural extension system with outstanding achievements in Vietnam's agricultural extension activities in the period 1993 - 2023. Thai Binh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also awarded certificates of merit to 5 collectives and 6 individuals who have had outstanding and typical achievements in implementing the emulation theme "Innovate and improve the quality and efficiency of agricultural extension work, contributing to building modern agriculture, wealthy farmers, and civilized countryside" in the period 2021 - 2025.