Bridge bringing science and technology to farmers

Outstanding marks

On November 24, 1993, the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province issued Decision No. 1052/QD-UB to establish the Ninh Binh Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Extension Center - the predecessor of the current Ninh Binh Provincial Agricultural Extension Center. Throughout 30 years of formation, construction and development, the Ninh Binh Agricultural Extension Center has always accompanied and closely worked with all levels, sectors and farmers to strive to excellently complete assigned tasks, contributing to the overall victory of the province's agricultural sector.

Regarding crop varieties, in the 90s of the last century, with the goal of increasing productivity and ensuring food security, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center conducted testing, evaluation, selection, and proposed many new rice varieties, especially hybrid rice with good growth ability, resistance to pests and harsh weather to put into production. Thereby, helping to improve productivity, farmers not only have enough rice to eat but also have surplus to serve livestock and sell to the market. In recent years, when food security has been ensured, closely following reality, the Center has shifted to testing and finding high-quality rice varieties and specialty rice to popularize in production, combined with popularizing organic production methods, meeting the needs of consumers for delicious food; gradually improving quality, value, and affirming the Ninh Binh rice brand.

Along with rice varieties, the Agricultural Extension Center also cooperates with companies and enterprises to introduce new varieties of corn, peanuts, soybeans, green beans, and vegetables into production, aiming to diversify crops, contribute to improving productivity and efficiency, and increase production value, especially in the winter crop.

Regarding cultivation techniques, it is necessary to mention the technology of sowing spring rice with transparent plastic cover, planting peanuts with plastic cover... In particular, in recent years, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has been very successful in bringing mechanization into production. Before 2003, agricultural machines of households could be counted on the fingers, up to now, 100% of the rice area is plowed by machine; 95% of the rice area is harvested by machine. Notably, from 2019 up to now, the Center has put into testing and gradually expanded the model of tray seeding, machine planting combined with organic rice production, helping to significantly reduce labor, overcome the use of pesticides, especially herbicides, snail pesticides, creating a clean product line, the selling price is higher than mass rice by an average of 5,000 VND/kg, the profit is about 10 million VND/ha/crop. In addition, to gradually apply smart technology to agricultural production, the Center continues to organize demonstrations of technology transfer using drones to spray pesticides and fertilize fields.

Another mark of Ninh Binh Agricultural Extension Center is the construction of a series of models to convert crop structure on rice land, color land, and ineffective mixed garden land to grow other crops with high economic value. Specifically: Model of converting mixed garden to grow guava, red dragon fruit for hilly areas such as Nho Quan, Gia Vien, Hoa Lu; model of converting ineffective rice land to grow banana, guava combined with aquaculture in low-lying areas such as Yen Mo, Yen Khanh. And recently, 2 agricultural production models associated with tourism are: Black Summer grape growing model and intensive lotus growing model, bringing double benefits to farmers, when both profiting from agricultural products and attracting visitors to visit, take photos and experience.

In livestock farming, since its inception, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has focused on building a program to improve the local goat and cow herds. After 30 years of implementation, it has supported nearly 600 Bach Thao crossbred goats, Boer crossbred goats; nearly 300 bulls with 3/4 Zebu blood and hundreds of thousands of doses of imported semen to breed thousands of cows, helping to improve the stature of the local goat and cow herds towards meat, ensuring food supply as well as serving tourism services in the area. In addition, many other programs, projects and models have been accepted and developed by farmers such as: Chicken farming model using biological bedding, using closed cages in pork farming; joint program to develop rabbit farming towards commodities; manure separation model in livestock waste treatment. In particular, up to now, the whole province has built 5,000 biogas works, basically solving the problem of environmental pollution in livestock farming...

In addition, based on the characteristics of each different ecological sub-region in the province, the fisheries promotion program has suitable models to maximize regional advantages. For example, the low-lying areas of Nho Quan and Gia Vien have models of rice-fish rotation, giant freshwater prawn farming, triploid carp, banana fish, tilapia... The coastal area of ​​Kim Son has models of green crab farming, American red snapper, barramundi, brown fish, yellowfin pomfret, multi-stage shrimp farming... In particular, the model of whiteleg shrimp farming in canvas houses was built to help farmers produce 3 crops/year, shrimp farming even in the cold winter, bringing profits 3-5 times higher than the main crop.

Technical advances in forestry have also been effectively implemented by agricultural extension, such as: Guiding farmers to implement the agroforestry method of "taking short-term to feed long-term", planting forests with many canopy layers and many tree species to take advantage of the growing space and prevent erosion. At the same time, absorbing and building models with an area of ​​hundreds of hectares of new planting with bamboo varieties for shoots, grafted canarium, hybrid acacia, and Mexican lat.

It can be affirmed that the agricultural model programs and projects that the Agricultural Extension Center has implemented over the past 30 years have had a positive and comprehensive impact on the production and life of farmers, gradually improving productivity, quality and production efficiency. Thereby, contributing significantly to increasing the province's agricultural production value from 50 million VND/ha in 2003 to 86 million VND/ha in 2011 and expected to be 155 million VND/ha in 2023.

Continue comprehensive innovation

In the context of strong digital technology development, while the world economy has many fluctuations, inflationary pressure, unpredictable risks. Along with that are unfavorable factors due to climate change, sharp increase in prices of materials and input materials for agricultural production, and the risk of outbreaks of livestock and poultry diseases. The tasks of the agricultural sector in general and the agricultural extension system are facing many challenges, requiring agricultural extension work to be comprehensively innovated towards more diversity, quality and efficiency.

Comrade Bui Huu Ngoc, Director of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, said: In the coming time, closely following the orientation of the industry, the province, the needs of the people, especially the Agricultural Sector Restructuring Plan, Resolution 05 of the Provincial Party Committee on developing agricultural economy towards commodity production, applying high technology, advanced and sustainable production forms; Resolution No. 32/2022/NQ-HDND of the Provincial People's Council stipulating policies to support the development of rural agricultural economy in the province, the Center continues to build models applying science, technology, high technology, smart technology in production. Ensuring consistency from the seed stage, production process, preservation, processing such as: Model of seeding trays with machines, using airplanes, unmanned transplanters in agricultural production; models of water-saving irrigation for fruit trees in hilly areas; models of growing vegetables and fruits in net houses, greenhouses; testing organic products as fertilizers in agricultural production; models for using new generation pesticides.

Forming links in production, building cooperatives and industry cooperatives in various fields to increase competitiveness in the market, increase added value and economic efficiency, such as building circular agricultural economic models, chain linkage models in livestock farming. Maintaining and replicating organic production models, following organic directions; building models of ecological agricultural farm economic development, experiences associated with tourism development, both promoting and creating on-site output for agricultural products, and creating new, attractive, environmentally friendly tourism products...

According to the Director of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, currently, the agricultural sector is shifting its thinking from agricultural production to agricultural economic thinking, so the agricultural extension system is also shifting to approach this thinking by strengthening coordination between state agricultural extension and enterprise agricultural extension in technology transfer and closing the agricultural value chain, focusing on developing electronic agricultural extension and community agricultural extension. With the goal of building ecological agriculture, modern countryside and civilized farmers, agricultural extension is always the core force to improve farmers' knowledge and professionalize farmers, the role of the agricultural extension system is not only to connect and transfer science and technology but more importantly, it also has social security significance. The agricultural extension system will continue to be strengthened and developed to carry out its mission according to the motto "where there are farmers, there is agricultural extension".

Nguyen Luu

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/-cau-noi-dua-khoa-hoc-ky-thuat-den-voi-nong-dan/d20231227090424371.htm