Raise the Vietnam Agricultural Extension to the level of integration

In 1988, due to the need to innovate production, An Giang province pioneered the establishment of an agricultural extension center, becoming the "pioneer" of the country's agricultural extension system after the Resolution on Reforming the Agricultural Production Mechanism was issued in 1986. Accordingly, some provinces organized the establishment of local agricultural extension organizations. In 1993, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development submitted to the Government to sign Decree 13, establishing the Vietnam Agricultural Extension system.

The mission during "wartime" belonged to the (old) agricultural cooperative, which made a historic contribution to the cause of liberating the South and reunifying the Fatherland (1945 - 1975).

The mission in "peaceful times" includes the timely contribution of agricultural extension when (old) agricultural cooperatives transform. That is the cause of hunger eradication, poverty reduction, debt escape, crisis escape, export, and new rural construction (1993 - 2023).

The agricultural extension science system has built a brand. It has a position in the achievements of agricultural development over 30 years thanks first to the presence of market policy mechanisms, then irrigation and irrigation. Third is the transfer of scientific and technical advances, contributing to bringing our country's agriculture to an average level, with agricultural exports ranked in the top 20 in the world...

Resolution 19 (2022) of the 13th Party Central Committee from considering agriculture as a leading front to a national advantage. The resolution of the 13th Party Congress defines our era of development as the 4.0 industrial revolution. We have more than 10 strategic and comprehensive partners, and 16 new free trade agreements (FTAs), and our country is in the "golden population" period.

Innovate agricultural extension system management to create new-era values

1. The outstanding value of the era is digital and green transformation

Moving to the technological age, we should restructure science and technology tasks, national and local agricultural extension programs and projects, and use more social resources (instead of mainly supporting budget capital) to upgrade, first of all, the value of the production - trade model and the training model to international standards; increase income value for agricultural extension staff and farmers, enhance environmental, cultural and social added value; innovate science and technology towards clean, digital, green, service... to rise to the regional, national, Northeast Asia and ASEAN levels.

2. Build a unique Vietnamese agricultural extension policy mechanism, creating new motivation

We need to build the spiritual assets of agricultural extension, which is the theoretical and practical basis for implementing the agricultural strategy for the two 100-year goals, bringing science and technology factors to contribute more than 50% to the sustainable growth of agriculture. From there, there are breakthrough solutions and policy mechanisms, both "hard" and "soft" solutions, to go along, go fast, and go far with the times.

First of all, we need to overcome the decline in agricultural extension motivation (the average salary for agricultural extension staff and farmers is only VND 4-5 million/month), Market share of private agricultural extension and social capital with unreasonable structure; The mechanism of three types of services, many types of consulting, and agricultural extension management is showing many new shortcomings (due to urbanization, regional management, large farm development, agricultural investment abroad, training alliances) create new generations of farmers and promote agriculture...).

Domestically, it is necessary to activate FDI resources and large enterprises, agricultural science and technology enterprises, R&D centers, and agricultural service centers. There is a mechanism to rotate promotion staff to stay close to reality... We do not have many adequate models of production linkages, scientific and technological implications for rural development, craft villages, and services. , tourism, marine economy, forests, innovation... are not yet convincing in scale and effectiveness.

3. Operate an innovative agricultural extension system, creating heritage highlights

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development can propose specialized emulation content on digital agricultural extension (network access) and green agricultural extension (carbon credit trade)... such as CPI ranking (annual competitiveness assessment) between local and national agricultural extension organizations today.

Proposal to change the name of the Agricultural Extension Forum @ Agriculture to Vietnam Agricultural Extension @ Agricultural Economics; to establish the ASEAN Agricultural Extension Alliance, Northeast Asia; erecting the heritage stele of the first Agricultural Extension Center in An Giang...

The agricultural extension system needs to innovate with technology, reposition the situation, create a new mark, and contribute to bringing agricultural development to the peak with new development methods, approaches, and spaces.