As usual, early spring is the time when farmers gather around a pot of hot tea and a plate of colourful jam to tell each other their wishes for intelligent and modern agriculture and a prosperous new year.

Drones were demonstrated at an organic rice field in Tay An Village, Hoa Chau Commune, Hoa Vang District.

From drones...

In mid-August 2022, two unmanned aerial vehicles were operated and demonstrated by engineers of Da Nang Nicotex Joint Stock Company in the field of organic rice production with tray plating and transplanting machines in Tay An Village, Hoa Chau Commune, Hoa Vang District. Although local people here have heard the term "drone" many times, this was the first time many farmers here see the device in action in their local fields.

Eagerness, curiosity and impression were the general moods of the farmers present at the show. The drones operate on the map programmed in the system, carrying the nutrient solution evenly scattered from the sky to the rice field without having to wade through the mud, without having to go along each edge of the field.

According to Mr Phung Van Mai, Head of Tay An Village, Hoa Chau Commune, this is a piece of advanced equipment that farmers in the district in particular and Da Nang, in general, have not yet widely accessed and used because they have done farming by traditional methods and using human labour for a long time.

In fact, direct contact with pesticides will greatly affect farmers’ health in the long run. Therefore, using unmanned drones offers numerous benefits in production, especially in ensuring the health of farmers.

On the other hand, if pests and diseases appear, farmers will promptly handle them without taking much time but still ensure crop productivity.

During a business trip at the end of August 2022 in Tien Giang Province, Mr Pham Cong Tuan, Director of Hoa Tien 2 General Business and Production Service Cooperative, Hoa Tien Commune, Hoa Vang District,  was introduced and accessed to modern equipment for agricultural production, and drones are one of the familiar means used by many farmers here.

In the winter-spring crop of 2022-2023, the cooperative has the intention to hire an equipment supplier to perform flight services to spray pesticides and foliar fertilizers. In this first use of new technology, Mr Tuan and many farmers expect to create a breakthrough in production and improve crop productivity for the locality.

Production at the Afarm - Farm on Smartphone. Photo: VAN HOANG

... to smart and modern agricultural applications

It can be seen that more and more farmers are applying modern technologies to serve production in Da Nang’s agriculture. The serious investment along with the passion, enthusiasm, curiosity and ability to apply technological advances of lots of farmers have created quality products in their homeland.

One of them is Afarm - Farm on Smartphone, the first vegetable growing service on a mobile application in Viet Nam of Mr Nguyen Tan Phuong, residing in Hoa Hai Village, Hoa Phu Commune, Hoa Vang District. Customers can monitor the status of crops, date of age, temperature, humidity, and nutrient concentration by using this app.

All customer operations on the application will be sent to the system so that technicians can plant, care for and harvest vegetables according to the schedule.

The irrigation system and control of temperature, humidity, and light are also fully automatic with 4.0 technology. Besides, Mr Phuong uses the ERP management system for the overall management of the business, focusing on input material management and production management for easy product traceability.

As shared by Mr Phuong, Afarm is developing a natural organic farming model using a stable microbiome to balance nutrients and make the most of waste by-products to transform into nutrients, and fertilizers, and applying technology to control activities. This model will help to save maximum production costs and care but still ensure product quality.

In the Duong Son flower growing area in Hoa Chau Commune, Mr Tran Quoc Dung used an automatic irrigation system in greenhouses to grow hanging petunia. Thanks to the application of high technology in agricultural production, Mr Dung's model has saved a lot of production costs and labour, contributing to limiting pests and diseases on flowers, improving quality and bringing high economic efficiency.

Another young farmer having a model of high-tech orchids in the flower growing area is Mr Le Thanh Trung, residing in Hoa Xuan Ward, Cam Le District. Accordingly, every stage of flower care in his garden is done automatically thanks to the application of technology.

With a smart software system integrated into a mobile phone, Mr Trung can take care of flowers without being physically present in the garden. This is one of the models that bring high economic value to the production area and create stable jobs for local workers.

It can be said that the application of new advances in science and technology is happening strongly in all fields and the agricultural industry is no exception. The application of breakthrough technologies not only contributes to improving productivity and reducing product costs but also directs the agriculture industry to modernity, intelligence and high technology, creating sustainability, as well as contributing to the socio-economic development of the city.

Reporting by VAN HOANG- Translating by T.VY