Free, effective, and trustful destination

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For many years, the small house in the heart of Mr. Vu Duy Hien's 7,000-square-meter orange garden in Area 2, Cao Phong Town (Hoa Binh), has become a meeting point for free consultations on techniques for restoring, pruning, and caring for orange and citrus trees. Representatives from the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center (PAEC), the Cao Phong District Agricultural Service Center, and business engineers provide these consultations for hundreds of households inside and outside the district.

According to Mr. Hien, Cao Phong was once known as one of the largest orange capitals in the North. However, its "fatal weaknesses" gradually became apparent after rapid development. The once highly cherished orange trees were gradually neglected. The Greening yellow leaf disease and pests ravaged the crops. Many people envisioned a future where orange trees would be eradicated from Cao Phong. Even Mr. Hien, who had been attached to these trees for nearly 40 years, sadly introduced pomelos, intending to harvest the last batch of oranges before cutting down all the trees.

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Numerous households were trapped in a vicious cycle due to chronic yellow leaf disease and root decay in the orange trees, which resulted in the loss of labor and resources. Mr. Hien was uncertain about the appropriate course of action until he stumbled upon a video on YouTube that introduced an organic bio-fertilizer that could be used to revive diseased orange trees. This video provided him with a new glimmer of hope.

After conducting further research and analysis, he brazenly purchased and experimented with it. After observing the positive changes in his citrus garden, he promptly contacted the Agricultural Service Center and PAEC officials for assistance. Officials from the two centers arrived at his garden after a few fleeting phone calls.

The evaluations demonstrated the effective utilization of the new fertilizer product and the renovation process. In order to facilitate visits and learning for households, the provincial PAEC contacted Sumagrow Company, the fertilizer supplier, to pilot the model and establish an accessible technical consultation point for the care and restoration of citrus trees, mainly orange trees, in Mr. Hien's garden.

The consultation point was operational by the end of 2022, and it received regular participation from provincial PAEC officials, Cao Phong district Agricultural Service Center officials, company technical staff, and a few pioneering households, including Mr. Hien. Upon request, the group members jointly provided technical support and advice to all citrus-growing households in the area.

Mr. Hien revealed that his family's orange garden would not have been able to "change its skin and flesh" as it has now, if it had not been for the support and companionship of agricultural extension officers, the Agricultural Service Center, and businesses. He was walking under the lush orange garden, with the trees racing to bear fruit. The fight against pests and diseases in crops would be ineffective and, in certain instances, counterproductive if it were exclusively based on the current context.

Mr. Hien and the officials at the consultation point have lost track of the number of individuals who have visited in search of knowledge and support, as two years have passed. Some individuals have even traveled from Thanh Hoa and Son La to obtain assistance.

The new product and the technique for renovating orange gardens are not too unfamiliar to long-time growers. The process involves clearing the undergrowth, pruning to shape the trees, preventing pests and diseases, digging drainage trenches, fertilizing, and utilizing the beneficial fungus Trichoderma found in the new product to protect the plants. However, due to limited information, many households needed the opportunity to access these methods early, leading to regret when they had already cut down their orange gardens. It was when the consultation point became operational that things began to turn around.

Change to keep up with farmers' demands

Ms. Pham Thi Thu Hong, an officer from the Hoa Binh PAEC, who was assigned as the Team Leader of the Community Agricultural Extension Group in Yen Thuy District (one of the province's two pilot teams), proudly revealed that the free consultation site that helps farmers revive diseased orchards is just one of the many activities that the pilot Community Agricultural Extension Group team and the agricultural extension force in Hoa Binh province have coordinated with localities and businesses to implement, supporting farmers on their journey towards sustainable production development.

Hoa Binh is one of 13 provinces nationwide participating in the Pilot Project to develop standardized agricultural and forestry raw material areas for domestic consumption and export during the 2022 - 2025 period, as well as the Project to enhance the effectiveness of agricultural extension activities based on the consolidation of the Community Agricultural Extension Group model. In August 2022, the Hoa Binh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development decided to pilot establishing two Community Agricultural Extension Group teams in the Lac Son and Yen Thuy districts.

After nearly two years of operation, the established Community Agricultural Extension Group teams have reconnected the agricultural extension system that had been "disrupted" after the merger of three district-level agricultural extension stations and the dissolution of the commune-level agricultural extension system.

With the spirit of "Agricultural extension officers coming to farmers with all their hearts, not just for the noble mission but also out of duty, coming because they feel they should, need to, and must come," the teams have immediately demonstrated their role as a bridge between farmers, cooperatives, and businesses, despite their young age, lack of facilities, and members' lack of organizational experience.

They have disseminated knowledge about the policies and guidelines of the Party and the State, supplied information, transferred scientific and technological advancements, shared business production experience, expanded consumption markets, and sought stable outlets for agricultural products. Additionally, they have provided advice. They have established a production environment that is sustainable, secure, and efficient in collaboration with farmers.