Technology and digital transformation in agriculture are not yet booming

Transparent in production and management

In the context of agricultural production increasingly under pressure on costs and productivity, applying technology is a strategic solution. Ms. Dao Thi Nhu He, Director of Sai Gon Kim Hong Trading Services Co., Ltd., affirmed that modern agriculture cannot lack the role of machinery and automation.

One of the outstanding technologies being deployed in rice production is currently cluster sowing, which significantly reduces the amount of seed. According to traditional methods, farmers often sow 120–200 kg of seed/ha. However, with cluster sowing, the amount of seed decreases to only about 50–60 kg/ha. This not only saves costs but also helps rice plants grow better, reduces the fall, and limits the loss after harvest.

In addition to reducing costs, this technology also saves about 30% of fertilizer compared to traditional sowing methods. When the amount of fertilizer decreases, the pesticide spraying times also reduce by 2-3 times/crop because rice plants are  stronger and less attacked by pests and diseases. Cluster sowing has helped reduce production costs by 20–30% and increase profits for farmers.

Besides cluster sowing, the application of unmanned aircraft (drones) in agriculture is also evaluated to help farmers save considerable time and effort. Previously, pesticide spraying was mainly based on manual labor with a maximum yield of only about 1 ha/person/day. Meanwhile, drones can handle an area of ​​up to several tens of hectares a day. In particular, farmers limit direct contact with toxic chemicals.

To expand the application of drones in agriculture, Ms. He proposes the linkage model between service providers. "Instead of each farmer investing individually with a high cost of VND 400–500 million/machine, the agricultural sector of the localities needs to set up a coordinating center to optimize equipment, ensuring that the area in need will have a drone to operate immediately," she emphasized.

Sorimachi Vietnam Company is now building and deploying many softwares to serve agricultural production, such as the cooperative accounting software (WACA) and the production diary software (FaceFarm).

These applications allow farmers and cooperatives to plan production and trace the origin of products with QR codes; manage, support, and monitor rice-growing areas with maps; compare revenue and profits between cooperatives; manage internal credit; and make financial statements.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Mong, Market Development Director of Sorimachi Vietnam Company, shared that the application of digital technology will help state management agencies to have overall and transparent information in the management of agricultural production activities. When the data is synchronized on the digital platform, management agencies can quickly determine the financial situation of cooperatives and crop productivity in each region, thereby having timely support policies.

At Ba Dinh General Agricultural Cooperative (Bac Lieu province), Mr. Nong Van Trach, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of the Cooperative, said that previously, due to the Cooperative's limited technology access capacity, the unit encountered many difficulties in managing production and recording cultivation diaries when participating in the 1 million ha of high-quality rice project.

After accessing FaceFarm and WACA softwares, since 2022, the Cooperative has participated in 12 trainings. Through the technology platform, members easily monitor and control production costs and ensure profit. Especially have the opportunity to access more partners to expand the output.

Barriers in connection and data sharing

Although the benefits of technology and digital transformation have been proven, the expansion to apply them in reality has encountered many challenges.

One of the biggest issues pointed out by Mr. Nguyen Thanh Mong is the difficulty in connecting and sharing data between the management agencies and technology solution providers.

Typically, much important information, such as planting area codes, is now managed internally by the Crop Production and Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), making technology enterprises unable to exploit it effectively.

Mr. Mong emphasized that if there is no connection between the digital platform of the technology enterprise and the data of the Crop Production and Plant Protection Department, traceability is still a big barrier. Similarly, the Crop Production and Plant Protection Department also needs to open a portal of pesticides so that farmers can quickly look up the portfolio of drugs allowed to be used for each export market.

In addition to data issues, awareness and capacity to use the technology of farmers and managers is also a challenge. Currently, many cooperatives are not familiar with digital management software, while some local officials do not have enough skills to guide farmers to implement new technology.

To address the above challenges, training and improving capacity for farmers and cooperatives are essential.

Mr. Le Duc Thinh, Director of the Department of Economic Cooperation (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), encourages technology enterprises to continue organizing training programs. Through this, farmers can get used to technology and effectively exploit digital transformation tools.

In fact, Sorimachi Vietnam Company has implemented a pilot project of digital transformation and green transformation in agriculture. The project aims to guide farmers and cooperatives to effectively use two WACA and FaceFarm softwares, supporting emission-reducing rice farming when participating in the 1 million ha of high-quality rice project.

Up to now, the project has trained 70 ToT officials for 12 provinces and cities participating in the 1 million ha of high-quality rice project. The project is expected to expand online training for the ToI staff in the remaining 51 provinces across the country and build 30 typical cooperatives to implement digital transformation and green transformation in agriculture.

In particular, this approach has changed the awareness of local officials and cooperatives in the application of software. There are currently more than 7,000 units with accounts using two WACA and Facefarm softwares; more than 600 cooperatives and units have actively invested in equipping software for use, and 15 Departments of Agriculture and Environment have included a plan to arrange funds to equip these softwares to support cooperatives in the area.

Technology and digital transformation are becoming the keys to the sustainable development of the agricultural sector. These advances help farmers and enterprises better adapt to the increasing requirements of the domestic and international markets. However, in order to achieve optimal results, it requires close coordination between the parties, from enterprises that provide solutions and management agencies to those who directly produce.

* USD 1 = VND 25,420 (Exchange rate updated on March 24, 2025; Source: Vietcombank)