Digital Farmer Dream
Coming to Thien Nong Farm in Phu Van Township, Bu Gia Map Border District, Binh Phuoc Province, while the avocado trees were in season, we were like stepping into the world of digital technology for agricultural production. The farm is 50 hectares including 30 hectares of rubber, 8 hectares of pepper and 12 hectares of avocados grown to VietGAP and AseanGAP standards. The owner is Mr. Dang Duong Minh Hoang (born 1988).
Each avocado tree is tagged with a QR code (digital diary) by Mr. Hoang to track the entire production process. Picture: Tran Trung.
From each avocado root to each avocado, Mr. Hoang attached a QR code (digital diary), just plug in the smartphone to scan the code, all the information from fertilization, harvest date, mode of transportation to the store, supermarket, the Product standards …are all transparent. At the same time, Mr. Hoang also develops product marketing in social networks and e-commerce marketplaces.
Holding an avocado to be exported to Thailand, Mr. Hoang said, Coming from a family with many generations of farmers, he was used to the image all year round, “his face to the land and his back to sell to heaven”. still difficult. That is why Mr. Hoang decided to return to his hometown to start a business after studying abroad Engineering and Masters at Grenoble Institute of Technology (France) majoring in Automatic Systems and Information Technology. He dreamed of becoming a “digital farmer”.
“My goal is an intelligent agricultural start-up that applies automation to production to manage the agricultural process, thereby helping to reduce costs, but the productivity and product quality are consistent and safe,” said Mr. Hoang.
Each avocado is also provided with a QR code. Simply plugging in a smartphone and scanning the code reveals all the information: fertilization, harvest date and time, means of transport to shops, supermarkets, product standards… Photo: Tran Trung.
Accordingly, Mr. Hoang applies IoT (Internet of Things) via the AutoAgri app and uses the blockchain technology he and his collaborators have researched to farm more than ten hectares of avocados. Based on sensors measuring humidity, temperature, pH and light installed on the phone device’s server, and based on a self-analysis of the plant’s health status, the device will take appropriate measures to provide the right amount of water and fertilizer for each tree. Thanks to this, Mr. Hoang can sit anywhere in the world and still water, fertilize every plant on his farm with a swipe of his hand on his smartphone….
“The cost of investing in a complete system from the sensor system to the automatic injector and irrigation system is almost VND 80 million/ha. In return, I save 80% of irrigation water, 40% of fertilizers and pesticides, and hundreds of labor, and still maintain stable productivity and excellent product quality. Besides supplying avocados to domestic supermarkets, the farm’s avocado products are also exported to countries in Southeast Asia, and gradually exported to the EU and Japan,” Hoang said.
Together with farmers on the “ship of digital transformation”
According to Mr. Hoang, the small, inefficient production model and the lack of linkage of the value chain are always problems that hinder the progress of agriculture. Therefore, digital transformation will not only invest in processing technology and focus on the domestic market, but also help farmers improve their productivity and quality, optimize production, reduce costs, and provide transparent and accurate information. Exactly, connecting supply and demand, overcoming the lack of information about the market.
Mechanization was synchronously applied to production by Mr. Hoang, contributing to cost reduction. Picture: Hong Thuy.
In order for farmers to board their “ship of digital transformation”, Mr. Hoang and his employees founded the Binh Phuoc Digital Agricultural Service Cooperative with 16 members in early 2021. In his role as director of the cooperative, Mr. Hoang did not hesitate to share all his production experiences with members and people in the region.
“The mission of the cooperative is to disseminate electronic garden diaries for farmers, to help the place to systematize data and to proactively connect supply and demand. Advice on materials, fertilizers, maintenance techniques and garden design; use of technology in garden maintenance; “Building a chain that connects farmers to the final purchasing channel, reducing middlemen and creating stability for agricultural products,” Hoang shared.
At the same time, Mr. Hoang also worked with Binh Phuoc Provincial Youth Union to conduct many “knowledge trips” to disseminate technology, especially electronic diaries, to many young startups in the province.
Mr. Hoang (far right) directs locals and cooperative members to apply the Internet of Things in manufacturing. Picture: Hong Thuy.
According to Mr. Hoang, the trend towards the production and consumption of organic and ecological agricultural products is now very popular and tends to increase rapidly. Everyone feels the need to eat clean foods. If producers do not use digital farming in this context, they lose their connection to collectors and consumers, cannot build trust in the products and cannot build brands and protect their products. trademark protection.
For export, many countries now require items to have an electronic diary to monitor the production process.
“Digital farming sounds far-fetched, but it’s actually a way to measure nature, produce accordingly, and keep an electronic farming diary so others know what we’re doing and how we’re doing. It’s transformational, creative thinking in the agribusiness.
Under the motto “Getting far together”, I expect that the cooperative, together with its members and young people, will contribute to increasing the value and branding of agricultural products; We are actively building domestic and foreign markets for agricultural products and helping Binh Phuoc’s agriculture in particular and Vietnam in general to develop in line with the trend of quality, modernity, ecology and sustainability,” stressed Mr. Hoang.
Mr. Hoang takes pride in his manufacturing achievements. Picture: Tran Trung.
With enthusiasm and tireless dedication, Mr. Hoang has achieved a number of outstanding achievements over the years, including: The honor of winning the 2022 Outstanding Vietnamese Farmers Award from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers’ Association; The Young Vietnamese Face Award in 2022 by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; Top 20 typical start-ups of the Youth Start-up Award 2023…
Not only are young people increasingly actively involved in start-ups and the digital transformation of agriculture, meanwhile, many old farmers in Binh Phuoc have also tried the digital transformation in agricultural production, some succeeding and some not. The results are as expected, but these are the core to successfully implement the digital economy together with the municipality.
“In order to implement the digital transformation process in agriculture, Binh Phuoc Digital Agricultural Service Cooperative has recently piloted the digitalization of more than 1,400 Binh Phuoc cashew processing plants and signed a memorandum of understanding. cooperates with Farmers Association, Cooperative Union, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Binh Phuoc Investment – Trade and Tourism Promotion Center to support digital transformation for farmers and enterprises, link agricultural chain products to add value and build sustainable brand,” said Tran Quoc Duy, Director of Binh Phuoc Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion.