Building an agricultural development ecosystem of 4.0

​One of the major barriers is still farmers' awareness and interest in production 4.0. To change this, it is necessary to have solutions to build human resources, especially young and qualified workers in rural areas to approach the 4.0 revolution.

The team of engineers working at a high-tech agricultural enterprise in Long Thanh District are well-trained. Photo: Phan Anh

Synchronized, modern technology and machinery

People’s Teacher, Doctor Phan Hieu Hien, Former Director of the Center for Energy and Agricultural Machinery, University of Agriculture and Forestry in Ho Chi Minh City assessed that the land is currently being eroded and degraded, and water resources are increasingly depleted. To fundamentally solve this problem, manual labor is no longer suitable, but machines must be put into production; at the same time, it is necessary to apply more high technologies in production to protect land and water resources and increase crop productivity. This is also one of the necessary conditions of the 4.0 revolution.

The biggest difficulty of mechanization in agriculture in Vietnam is that it is not invested in research in a systematic and methodical way, so many farmers have to invent machines and equipment themselves. It is time for basic research to develop mechanization in a synchronous manner, not inferior in technology compared to other countries in the world and must be carried out by the State together with enterprises with long-term investment rather than the science topics are mainly on paper.

Another barrier, mechanization has not been bigger than the household scale because fields and gardens in Vietnam are still fragmented and small. The State and localities must implement more thoroughly the construction of specialized farming areas, really large fields, applying modern technology and machinery to produce products of uniform quality, low cost and competitive price in the world market.

With the same opinion, Dr. Dao Ha Trung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Association, President of Te-food International (HCMC), said that in order for Vietnamese agricultural production to approach the 4.0 revolution, it is necessary to find solutions quickly applying the latest technologies.

In particular, for many years, Te-food International has cooperated with Dong Nai Province to implement the Te-food program. This is a large system, applying 4.0 technologies such as: blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data analysis, internet of things, etc. Blockchain technology can replace papers, no need for stamps, signature, etc. The information is on the cloud system, anyone can control the information through a connected mobile device, ensuring the transparency of each stage in the production chain from food to table. My wish is to apply 4.0 technology to effectively trace the origin of livestock and agricultural products at the cheapest price. Consumers around the world can trace their origin and trust and enjoy "made in Vietnam" agricultural products.

Invest in human resources

One of the barriers for Vietnamese farmers to approach the 4.0 revolution is awareness. Because farmers have small scale of farming, it is difficult to access high technology in production. To change this, it is necessary to focus on propaganda and training for people to understand; especially for the young generation of farmers in terms of necessary knowledge in using technological equipment and modern machinery; training young people on thinking about approaching agriculture 4.0.

According to Dr. Le Quy Kha, Former Deputy Director of the Southern Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology: "It's time for Vietnamese farmers to find a way to overcome their industriousness, hard work, and approach agriculture 4.0 so as not to remain in a weak position in the competition".

Students of University of Agriculture and Forestry in Ho Chi Minh City on an internship at Hung Loc Agricultural Research Center, Trang Bom District. Photo: Phan Anh

Responding to an interview on Dong Nai Newspaper about the 4.0 revolution, Prof. Dr. Vo Thanh Thu, a People's Teacher, a senior lecturer at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, member of the Advisory Council for International Trade Policy of VCCI said, the industrial revolution 4.0 is drastically changing the production and business methods of enterprises globally. Employees need to have sufficient knowledge and skills (including hard skills in digital, technology, programming, human-robot interaction; soft skills such as thinking ability, personal skills, human resources, social skills, etc.) to meet the requirements. Dong Nai is an industrial province, so the level of trade is large, meeting the needs of the application of information technology in production and business of enterprises should be put first, but human resources are still limited. Therefore, the province should implement a separate project on human resource development to meet the requirements of the industrial revolution 4.0 because this is a weak field in comparison with local needs as well as in relation to the needs of the local community and other key provinces and cities.

According to Dr. Dao Ha Trung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Association, compared with other countries in the application of 4.0 technology, Vietnam is more disadvantaged in terms of capital, resources, and slower progress. But so far, many businesses have been very diligent in innovating, they have put robots into production. From the perspective of farmers, the approach to Industry 4.0 is still quite deadlocked because of limited and backward conditions. This is why we have established a 4.0 cooperative called COOP 4.0, bringing together technology companies operating in the agricultural sector. This is a new model, with members being technology companies and operating in the form of joint purchase and sale, in order to reduce production costs and quickly apply the latest technologies.

Phan Anh