Dang Duong Minh Hoang is the Director of Thien Nong Farm, Binh Phuoc, Director of Binh Phuoc Digital Agricultural Service Cooperative, and Head of the Luong Dinh Cua Network nationwide. He was nominated for the Outstanding Young Vietnamese Faces Award 2022 in the field of Production Labor thanks to the effective application of technology in agricultural production and creating jobs for many ethnic minorities.
During the discussion with readers, Dang Duong Minh Hoang told the story of digitalizing agricultural cultivation, when his cooperative pioneered in building growing area codes for fruit trees, digitizing each tree, each tree is an electronic diary... The experiences that Mr. Hoang shared will be valuable lessons for young people on the journey of digital transformation of agricultural production.
Many people are surprised to learn that you studied abroad for many years, but in the end you chose to return to your homeland to do farming. What motivated you to make this decision?
Minh Hoang : In fact, Hoang comes from a farming family in Binh Phuoc, a province with great potential in agriculture. From a young age, Hoang saw his family and those around him “selling their faces to the land and their backs to the sky”. Doing agriculture but the economic efficiency was not high.
That was also the motivation for Hoang to study hard to get into Quang Trung specialized school in Binh Phuoc. Then, with the support from his teachers, Hoang passed the entrance exam to the University of Technology and was lucky to win a scholarship to study in France.
In France, Hoang studied automation and had access to leading experts in the field of automation. In addition, during his experience in France, Hoang found that although more than 65% of Vietnam's population lives in rural areas and the majority work in agriculture, Vietnamese brands in the European market are very rare, and there are not many Vietnamese products in markets and supermarkets in Europe. This further urged Hoang to think that if our young generation does not do it, how can Vietnam be on par with the world powers as Uncle Ho had advised.
Hoang was fortunate to have access to many start-up friends, intellectuals and enough time to work abroad, accumulate enough experience, ability, knowledge from his teachers, and also have many opportunities with Binh Phuoc land, so Hoang decided to start a business on his homeland. Hoang and Binh Phuoc farmers together built a brand from local specialties, from fruit trees such as avocado trees, which are native to the province, he built the Ong Hoang avocado brand. Currently, he is working with the people to build the Gia Bao durian brand, durian is also a strong tree of Binh Phuoc province, with the people to build growing areas, consult on brand usage, and approach the international market. With the motto "If you want to go far, go together."
Mr. Hoang does agriculture, but it is smart agriculture, applying technology to farming. How have you digitized your farming and agricultural production sector over the years?
Minh Hoang : In Hoang's cooperative in Binh Phuoc, members are digitizing each tree, each tree is a website, an electronic diary. When consumers buy an avocado through a QR code, they can access information about the watering date, fertilization date, harvest date, and transportation according to the motto "From farm to table". During the transportation process, for example from Binh Phuoc to Ho Chi Minh City, when the agricultural products first arrive in Binh Duong, they are continuously updated to the electronic diary "Arrived in Binh Duong" so that customers have transparent information, and can access each avocado and durian of the cooperative members.
In addition, Hoang also combines platforms such as IOT (automatic irrigation system), using an automatic system to water each tree in the garden based on sensors that measure humidity, temperature, PH, light, like the human sense of smell and taste and upload them to the server, analyze and take appropriate actions to the solenoid valves that act as human limbs, providing the appropriate amount of water and fertilizer to each tree. Hoang also uses a rooftop solar power system to be proactive in irrigation, ensuring that the voltage supplied to each device in the farm is always 220V, avoiding voltage drops. In addition, the excess electricity can be sold to Vietnam Electricity.
Besides, Hoang also develops marketing on social networks and e-commerce markets.
Thanks to the digital transformation in agricultural production, you have achieved many successes. So how have you helped your local people?
Minh Hoang : Hoang has coordinated with Binh Phuoc Provincial Youth Union to conduct many "knowledge trips" to transfer technology, especially electronic diaries for many young entrepreneurs in the province. In the coming time, Hoang, together with the Center for Promotion, Investment, Trade and Tourism of Binh Phuoc province and Master Hoang Son Cong, who is very good in the field of IMO, will combine to make a project to utilize waste from cashew fruits. Binh Phuoc is very famous for cashew nuts, now from a cashew fruit we will recycle to make wine, utilize cashew fruit as fertilizer for plants, stimulate flowering, nourish plants as well as utilize cashew fruit to make biological herbicides, instead of using banned substances, people can use biological herbicides from cashew fruit. Of course, this product will have to have a certificate from Binh Phuoc Department of Science and Technology.
As the head of the national Luong Dinh Cua Network, Hoang and his colleagues in the network in 63 provinces and cities, especially many outstanding young farmers, have organized many forums at many large schools such as Bach Khoa University and Thu Dau Mot University to organize programs to inspire, transfer technologies as well as share knowledge, skills, and experiences to start a business and establish a career in the agricultural sector for all members of the network nationwide.
This week, Hoang and his colleagues will meet with some Vietnamese ambassadors in 26 countries to connect supply and demand. Thereby, helping to bring products of the members of the Luong Dinh Cua Network nationwide to be officially exported to the international market.
The journey to bring value and high economic efficiency to local agricultural products is certainly not easy and full of challenges. Could you please share what difficulties you have encountered?
Minh Hoang : In fact, Hoang also has experience in project management at some multinational corporations, especially during the time I studied and worked in France and some other countries in the region such as Malaysia or Singapore. In fact, farm management is a bit different, especially managing unskilled workers and ethnic minorities. At first, there were some difficulties. When I operated and managed the project, the corporations could use the standards to apply to the farm to make the farm green and clean. But when using unskilled workers, I also need to understand them, understand the local culture and customs to apply initiatives and create sustainable livelihood models so that Hoang and them can work together to build cooperatives. Hoang invested 50% of their capital to build huts and raise goats . The ethnic minority workers will contribute their income to 50% of their cows and goats. From there, creating a sustainable livelihood, they have a more stable source of income from agriculture, Hoang has a source of compost to fertilize crops on the farm, creating a circular model.
In reality, no matter how we apply digital technology, we will still encounter some difficulties due to climate change. Hoang himself finds it very difficult to solve some climate changes. For example, this year, Binh Phuoc has encountered many unseasonal rains, when there is so much rain, it will lead to the phenomenon of cotton falling on fruit trees. Industrial crops such as cashew trees also encounter the phenomenon of frost, dry cotton that harms crops. From there, Hoang also has to take measures to limit those risks, for example: installing spray trucks in the garden, when it has just rained, I use these spray trucks to wash the cotton right in the early morning when the sun has just risen to reduce the damage caused by unseasonal rains. In reality, there are always many difficulties, but Hoang believes that it is the difficulties and failures at work that have forged his mettle, motivating Hoang and the young people on the farm, minority workers will have the motivation to succeed more, contribute more to society.
As a young person, he boldly brought technology into agriculture. In your opinion, how does digital transformation affect young people today?
Minh Hoang : Small-scale production models lacking value linkages have always been a painful reality in Vietnam's agriculture. Therefore, in addition to focusing on deep processing and the domestic market, digital transformation is a core task of the country's agriculture. Digital transformation helps farmers increase productivity, quality, reduce costs, optimize production activities, connect supply and demand, and make information about their products transparent. In fact, digital transformation is "a train that cannot be missed".
The trend of organic agriculture and clean eating is very popular today, everyone has a need to eat clean food. But if we make these products without applying digital agriculture, we will lose connection with buyers and consumers, not build trust in the product, not build a brand and protect the brand. It is digital technology that has helped Hoang make the product transparent before it reaches consumers. More importantly, when exporting goods abroad, there must be an electronic diary to ensure a continuous production process, monitored to meet export standards, thereby improving the quality of Vietnamese agricultural products in the international market.
As the director of a cooperative that is applying digital transformation, can you share your experience so that rural youth can effectively apply technology to agricultural production?
Minh Hoang : Firstly, if we want to do something, we must have passion, love nature, and follow nature to avoid climate change. We will be favored by nature and will certainly create a friendly, clean, beautiful environment close to workers. That is an immeasurable value. What measure can we use to know if we are in harmony with nature? Obviously, it is through digital tools. To know if this temperature or this soil is suitable for crops and if the pH is too low or too high, we must use technological tools to measure, from there we can cultivate in a way that is in harmony with nature. Besides, we must also have a farming diary, a production process diary.
Second, we must be steadfast in organic production and clean agricultural products so that in the end, Vietnam will have national brands, especially in agriculture, creating many products that reach international standards.
That is what Hoang wants to tell the young people in the countryside. Digital agriculture sounds far-fetched, but in reality it is a way to measure nature, to produce appropriately, to record farming diaries electronically so that others know what we are doing. It is a transformation, a creative way of thinking in the agricultural sector.
If you become the Outstanding Young Vietnamese Face 2022, what plans do you have to contribute more to the community?
Minh Hoang : Hoang himself feels very honored and proud to be in the top 20 Outstanding Young Vietnamese Faces of 2022. Hoang also thanks his hometown Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong, as well as the leaders of the two provinces for supporting and accompanying Hoang throughout the past time, loving him like a child in the family. Hoang himself feels responsible for the community and society. In the coming time, Hoang, along with his hometown Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and the Luong Dinh Cua Network, will be the pioneering nucleus to inspire young people to work together to build a decent agricultural community, raising Vietnamese agricultural products to the world agricultural map.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/thac-si-tre-dam-me-phat-trien-nong-nghiep-que-huong-post1514490.tpo
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