Training more than 4,000 farmers applying hi-tech agriculture

To build and develop agriculture in An Giang province sustainably and effectively, the province identifies the quality of human resources in agriculture as the top decisive factor. In addition to the management staff in the agricultural sector, the management team of cooperatives, cooperative groups, and especially farmers directly engaged in production need to be trained and improve their knowledge about modern agriculture.

From June 2023 up to now, An Giang Agricultural Extension Center, in collaboration with agricultural extension stations of districts, towns, and cities, has organized 50/102 training classes with 1,855 turns of participants. Specifically, there are 4 training courses to improve executive management capacity, raise the transfer of scientific and technological application, high technology, and market access capacity for cooperatives and cooperative groups in rice and vegetable cultivation.

In addition, there are 21 training classes on improving production capacity in rice, fruit trees, vegetables, livestock, and aquaculture... and 23 advanced training courses for farmers associated with the chain of agricultural product consumption with 3 fields of rice, fruit trees, and vegetables.

The Agricultural Extension Center of An Giang province also organized 2 field trips to learn experiences in 2 provinces of Soc Trang and Hau Giang with 50 students who are critical farmers in the area in an intensive training course for core farmers in the field of fruit trees.

Huynh Dao Nguyen, Director of An Giang Agricultural Extension Center, said that training human resources for developing high-tech agriculture here is not for scientific research or public management agencies. The agricultural sector is most interested in cooperatives, cooperative groups, and farmers. Therefore, trainees participating in this training are the management board, executive board, members of cooperatives, collaborative groups, and farmers directly engaged in agricultural production.

Through training courses to help students update information, learn more knowledge about many fields such as learning experience, improving the role - function - mission - operation of cooperatives, local key farmers cooperative groups in implementing the linkage chain at the request of enterprises; supporting information and policies for farmer organizations, promoting rice and sticky rice consumption chains and experience in operating, managing and developing various types of cooperative services and cooperative groups; scientific, technical and technological solutions applied to rice farming in a modern and sustainable way...

Also, support farmers to update and share experiences on rice cultivation standards according to SRP associated with consumption linkages; application of information and communication, access to e-commerce floors, consumption of agricultural products in the digital age; recording production logs, technical requirements, product quality... serving chain links, efficient agricultural production models.

In addition, farmers also shared and discussed technical issues in the cultivation of rice, sticky rice, vegetables, fruit trees, livestock and aquaculture, difficulties in managing and operating farmers' organizations and discussing solutions.

High-tech agriculture rationally applies new and advanced technologies to production to improve efficiency, create a breakthrough in productivity and quality of agricultural products, satisfy increasing societal demands, and ensure sustainable agricultural development.

Developing high-tech agriculture and renewing science and technology is considered as one of the key and critical solutions. The application of science and technology solves challenges in agricultural development with the advantages of technologies such as biotechnology, greenhouse technology, drip irrigation technology, sensor technology, automation, internet of things ... helps agricultural production save costs, increase productivity, lower costs, and improve the quality of agricultural products, protect the environment. On the other hand, high-tech agriculture helps farmers be proactive in production, overcome seasonality, reduce dependence on weather and climate, and meet market demand for quality agricultural products.

According to the Director of An Giang Agricultural Extension Center, in the coming time, to complete the plan to develop human resources for high-tech agriculture in 2023, An Giang Agricultural Extension Center will continue to coordinate with other organizations and individuals, Provincial Women's Union, An Giang Provincial Youth Union, and agricultural extension stations to organize training courses as planned and on schedule.

In addition, there will be lecturers, experts from institutes and schools directly teaching trainees to participate in the training course, including farmers, students, staff of crop protection and crop protection systems, and extension workers in the provinces, intensive training courses for specialized forces according to the value chain of critical industries; foster, train and strengthen the power of agricultural extension workers and technical staff in An Giang province.