Strengthening community agricultural extension for implementation of 1 million hectares rice project

Community agricultural extension is an extended arm of the agricultural sector

To elucidate the roles of the agricultural extension system in general, and community workers in particular, in executing the Project of 1 million hectares specializing in high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in collaboration with the People's Committee of Tra Vinh province, organized a workshop titled "The Role and Tasks of Agricultural Extension and Community Agricultural Extension in the Project of 1 million hectares specializing in high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation" on March 15th in Tra Vinh.

The conference was attended by officials from the MARD, leaders of the People's Committee of Tra Vinh province, departments, institutes, schools, and centers under the MARD, as well as leaders of the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development in 12 Mekong Delta provinces. Domestic and international partner and cooperative member units involved in the 1 million hectares rice project also participated.

During the conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam stated, "Currently, more than 20 provinces have established community agricultural extension programs, which operate very effectively. Community agricultural extension forces are deeply rooted in grassroots communities. They will play a crucial role in advising on establishing agricultural cooperatives, disseminating market information, and undertaking local assignments. This underscores their pivotal role as an extended arm of the agricultural industry at the grassroots level."

The key participants for the 1 million hectares rice project are farmer households organized in cooperatives. The project aims to enhance income by reducing input costs, increasing yield, and enhancing the value of the low-emission rice brand. Preliminary estimates suggest that rice cultivation practices that reduce emissions could potentially help farmers earn around $100 per hectare. Beginning with the upcoming summer-autumn crop in May, a pilot rice farming model aimed at emission reduction will be initiated in Tra Vinh, to be implemented over three consecutive seasons to ascertain the emission reduction levels.

Emission-reducing rice cultivation must be executed within cooperatives to facilitate the measurement and calculation of emission reductions. Since this process cannot be adequately carried out at individual farming households, it necessitates a large-scale approach.

Participating businesses will receive loans from international organizations to facilitate the project's implementation. These enterprises must also fulfill specific conditions and criteria, including signing cooperation agreements with agricultural extension services and establishing a comprehensive linkage with farmers, building raw material zones within a structured input-output chain.

Mr. Le Van Dong, Deputy Director of the Tra Vinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasized, "Although Tra Vinh did not previously participate in the VnSAT Project, it has registered to participate in the 1 million hectares rice project. Presently, Tra Vinh has established 57 community agricultural extension groups, with ongoing efforts to establish at least one such group in each commune. The Tra Vinh Agricultural Extension Center has collaborated with local authorities to recruit and mobilize members for these community agricultural extension groups. Subsequently, the Commune People's Committees have decided to establish and promulgate operational regulations for these groups."

A Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company representative noted, "Since 2016, severe droughts and saltwater intrusion have inflicted significant damage. In response, Binh Dien initiated the 'Smart Rice Farming' program. Nearly 500 smart rice farming models have been implemented in collaboration with the National Agricultural Extension Center, with participation from various other businesses."

"In particular, since the Department of Crop Production recognized the smart rice farming process, numerous companies have engaged in building the model, including Binh Dien, Bayer Company, Vinarice Company, and Saigon Kim Company. These models not only provide support and guidance on technical processes for the rational, scientific, and economical use of fertilizers, reducing production costs but also equip farmers with tools for monitoring and field supervision."

"Community agricultural extension is poised to undertake the task," Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam stated. He informed that the MARD assigned specialized units to conduct surveys and calculations based on international indicators to determine the potential emissions reduction by implementing the 1 million hectares rice project, estimating a reduction of 12.5 million tons of CO2 emissions into the environment.

"By adopting sustainable farming methods, emissions can be reduced by 45%, equivalent to 5.4 million tons of CO2, with the potential to generate over $100 million USD annually through reduced emissions in rice farming. This revenue will be reinvested in production," Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam explained.

He urged provinces to review and bolster agricultural extension forces, ensuring readiness to undertake tasks, particularly in areas implementing the 1 million hectare rice project. He emphasized that without this workforce, measuring the carbon index would be significantly challenging.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam also delegated tasks to relevant units within the MARD, and proposed that the 12 Mekong Delta provinces (excluding Ben Tre) actively implement the 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice project. Specifically, on April 10th, a training session will be conducted for key agricultural extension forces in the 12 provinces of the Mekong Delta. Localities are tasked with determining precise data and specific locations for cooperatives to execute the project.

Besides, strengthening and enhancing the capacity of community agricultural extension groups is mandatory. Monthly progress reports are mandatory on the implementation of the 1 million hectare rice project and selecting five points as standard models in provinces such as Can Tho City, Tra Vinh, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, and Dong Thap to apply sustainable farming processes through cooperative cooperation.

Furthermore, it is imperative to promptly establish criteria to engage businesses and cooperatives in the project and collaborate with commercial banks to streamline the credit support mechanism. Additionally, deploying digital technology applications within the 1 million hectares of high-quality rice under the project is crucial. Plans to mobilize capital from international organizations and the state budget must be reviewed. Finally, a sustainable rice cultivation process should be issued and implemented across provinces by early April 2024.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam also emphasized the need to intensify communication efforts to ensure that people and businesses comprehend the project's objectives, encompassing not only environmental aspects but also production organization and communal responsibilities in enhancing farmers' income.

In accordance with the project's requirements, the agricultural extension system will undertake several key initiatives and solutions, including conducting awareness-raising campaigns and applying technological advancements in rice farming to mitigate emissions; establishing demonstration and training models for farmer households, cooperatives, cooperative groups, and farmer organizations; providing training and transferring sustainable farming methods, straw treatment techniques, environmental conservation practices, climate change adaptation strategies, as well as management, business, market, and digital transformation knowledge to rice-growing households and cooperatives; establishing an agricultural extension component for training and technology transfer to foster the development of low-emission rice production in the Mekong Delta, with a primary focus on enhancing the capacity of community agricultural extension organizations; creating and developing a workforce capable of measuring, reporting, appraising, and issuing carbon credits to fulfill project requirements.