Applying science and technology to agricultural production: Achievements, limitations and solutions

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Applying science and technology to agricultural production: Achievements, limitations and solutions

Facing the strong impacts of the 4.0 industrial revolution, the process of urbanization and climate change, along with strict market requirements... are posing great difficulties and challenges for production. Vietnamese culture. Accelerating the application of science and technology in agricultural production is not only the optimal solution to solve the above problem but also a necessity to improve productivity, quality, competitiveness of agricultural products, and protect agricultural products. ensure sustainable development of Vietnam's agricultural economy.

Applying science and technology to agricultural production. Illustration photo: Internet.

 

Question

Applying modern science and technology to agricultural production is a mainstream trend and the key to success in countries with developed agriculture in the world today. In Vietnam, the agricultural economy has had positive development since Doi Moi (1986), contributing to improving the quality of life of farmers, stabilizing the socio-economic (SE) and creating A solid foundation to accelerate the process of industrialization (CNH) and modernization (OS) of the country. However, the level of agricultural economic development in our country is still very low; Production is fragmented and small, productivity and quality are not high, and value added is low. Along with that, agricultural production mainly relies on natural advantages, intensive use of land and labor, so it is vulnerable to natural disasters, epidemics and leaves many negative impacts on the environment.

The key to solving these problems and limitations is to accelerate the application of science and technology achievements in agricultural production. Fully aware of this problem, in recent years our Party and State have constantly supplemented and perfected guidelines and policies for science and technology development, making science and technology truly a "leading national policy" in the process of socio-economic development. of the country. In particular, guidelines and policies to accelerate research, transfer and application of scientific and technological achievements into agricultural production receive special attention. At the 13th Congress (2021), in the context of the new situation, our Party affirmed the policy: "Strongly develop science - technology and innovation to create breakthroughs in productivity, quality, and efficiency.

" efficiency and competitiveness in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution"1. Regarding agriculture, the Congress clearly pointed out: "Promote agricultural restructuring... develop large-scale concentrated commodity agriculture in a modern direction, specialized areas for high-quality commodity cultivation. Strongly develop agriculture applying high technology, organic agriculture, ecological agriculture, meeting common standards of food safety..."2. The Party's viewpoints and policies and the State's policies and laws both have directional significance and create a favorable legal environment to promote research and application of science and technology into agricultural production in our country.

 

Some results achieved in the application of science and technology to agricultural production recently

Practice has proven that accelerating research and application of science and technology into production has greatly contributed to the development of Vietnam's agriculture industry. According to the assessment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, science, technology and innovation contribute over 30% of added value in agricultural production, and in the field of plant and animal breed production, it reaches 38%. Science and technology have contributed to improving productivity, quality and competitiveness of agricultural products and goods in domestic and international markets. In the period 2016 - 2021, Vietnam's total agricultural, forestry and fishery export turnover increased rapidly, reaching 238.81 billion USD, an average of more than 39.8 billion USD/year, in 2021 alone it reached 48.6 billion USD. billion USD.

The application of science and technology is carried out comprehensively and synchronously in all fields and stages of the agricultural production process and achieves some specific results as follows:

Firstly, applying science and technology in preparing land, fertilizer and livestock ponds has achieved many positive results. There have been many research projects applied to improving and improving soil fertility; Organic fertilizers and microbial fertilizers applying new production technology are widely used, contributing to significantly improving soil quality. Typically, research and application of biochar made from rice husks and coffee husks, produced by gasification method to improve soil quality and evaluate effectiveness on crops by the City Biotechnology Center . Ho Chi Minh (2016). Research and use of soil improvement microbial products from the Institute of Agrochemical Soils have been applied in practice and produced on an industrial scale to improve soil fertility.

Applying nanotechnology to produce some new generation fertilizers; production of preparations used as plant protection drugs; manufacturing high performance sprayers... The application of agricultural production mechanization has helped farmers reduce input costs, increase product quality, and contribute to increasing profits by about 20 - 30% compared to not applying mechanization3. Many research projects use indigenous microorganisms to help decompose and restore soil contaminated with toxic substances such as dioxins, pesticides and heavy metals; Research and development of groups of symbiotic microorganisms beneficial to plants in saline and alkaline soils... have been applied in practice. Research, design, and application of modern technical advances in building ponds for livestock are increasingly popular; In particular, it has mastered the research, production and process of using biological products in treating ponds, water sources and waste in livestock, bringing both high economic efficiency and economic efficiency. contribute to protect the environment. Second, scientific and technological achievements have been widely applied in selecting and creating many new plants and breeds with high quality, the ability to prevent diseases, and adapt well to harsh natural conditions.

During the period (2013 - 2020), there were 529 new varieties (including 393 crop varieties, 12 aquatic breeds; 82 forestry plant varieties and 42 livestock breeds); 101 technical reports and 85 patents are recognized and applied in practice4. Many plants and breeds have been bred and selected using modern technology, new methods and technical processes, and have been put into mass production on a large scale, contributing to increasing the productivity and quality of Vietnamese agricultural products. Male.

 

Many new varieties of industrial and forestry plants have been selected and put into mass production based on the application of modern scientific and technological achievements. Photo: Internet.

Biotechnology tools (molecular biology, genetic engineering, tissue culture, molecular markers, gene mapping - sequencing, combining "omics" sciences...) are used popular in selecting and creating new breeds. Typically, rice varieties selected by Vietnamese scientists have superior attributes such as: pest resistance, drought tolerance, salt tolerance, alum tolerance, high yield and quality. Besides, other plant varieties, such as corn, vegetables, tubers, mushrooms, flowers... all widely apply science and technology in breeding, bringing many new superior varieties into production. Many new varieties of industrial and forestry plants have been selected and put into mass production based on the application of modern scientific and technological achievements. Nearly 65% ​​of the national tea cultivation area uses varieties developed by the Institute of Science and Technology.

Vietnam University of Agriculture researches, selects5 and hundreds of newly recognized forestry tree varieties, such as: hybrid acacia, acacia mangium, acacia acacia, sickle leaf acacia, purple ambarella, sandalwood, fruit chestnut … With the livestock industry, we have mastered the process of producing frozen semen of cattle (buffalo, cow, goat, pig), and have successfully researched embryo production technology, implanting fresh and frozen embryos in some types. livestock (cows, breeding sows) and some native chickens. In breeding and selecting aquatic breeds with the main criteria being growth and high survival rate, in the period 2016 - 2020, there were 12 new breeds, 65 TBKT and 20 patents recognized and transferred into production. The application of new science and technology has increased the survival rate in the pangasius rearing stage to nearly 50%, thereby gradually meeting the sufficient quantity and quality of seed, with the ability to grow rapidly (increased by over 20%). ... Good quality breeds have contributed to improving the country's aquaculture output, in 2019 reaching 4.38 million tons, in 2020 reaching over 4.56 million tons, in 2021 reaching 4.75 million tons, exceeding set goals 6. Third, scientific and technological achievements have been widely applied in plant care, livestock and aquaculture, contributing to improving labor productivity.

The widespread application of technical equipment and modern machinery, accelerating mechanization not only contributes to liberating farmers' labor, but also ensures seasonality, increases productivity and reduces post-harvest losses. The number of machines used in agriculture is increasing rapidly. As of 2019, compared to 2011, the number of tractors increased by 48%, combine harvesters increased by 79%, and agricultural dryers increased by 29%; animal feed processing machines increased by 90.6%; aquatic food processing machines increased 2.2 times; Pesticide sprayers increased 3.1 times7... New farming techniques in rice production are applied very quickly by farmers, in addition, technical processes and solutions to prevent and control harmful organisms are also commonly applied. Among them, solutions that do not cause harm to the environment, by using green mushrooms, white mushrooms, Tricoderma mushrooms, Bacillus bacteria... are given priority. Environmentally friendly production models, applying new technical techniques have been deployed and replicated to farmers, such as the program "3 reductions 3 increases", "1 right 5 reductions" and the "eco-technology" model. , sowing program to avoid planthoppers... Has developed and effectively applied intensive farming processes according to VietGAP standards for many types of crops, contributing to reducing production costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and producing Safe products compared to traditional farming. Along with that is the application of 4.0 technology in plant protection, such as: software for managing harmful organisms nationwide; Applying meteorological station technology to automatically forecast weather and forecast harmful organisms; Light trap application connected to surveillance cameras; remote control spraying equipment…

Agricultural production models applying high technology are also increasingly developing. Up to now, the country has 49 agricultural enterprises applying high technology. Many enterprises have advanced levels on par with the region and the world, such as: TH Group (dairy), Dabaco (livestock), Nafoods (fruit growing and processing), South Central (shrimp), Vingroup (vegetables) , Ba Huan, Loc Troi... In production activities, these enterprises widely apply modern machinery and equipment, automation in care, health monitoring, and control of all plant activities. planting, livestock. The cleaning of livestock barns also applies the most advanced technology, automatic treatment or the use of biological pads to protect the environment... In addition, modern technological equipment and processes have been applied. in researching, producing and vaccinating livestock to prevent diseases, thereby improving productivity and quality of commercial products, at the same time, reducing costs and labor of farmers. Fourth, the application of science and technology in harvesting and preserving agricultural products has achieved many positive results, contributing to limiting losses and improving the value of goods. Currently, many technical equipment, modern machinery, and advanced technology lines have been commonly used in harvesting and preserving agricultural products, especially in large-scale, concentrated agricultural production areas and agricultural enterprises. high technology applications. In the rice harvesting stage, the Mekong Delta currently has a mechanization level of over 82%, and the Southeast region has about 70%.

 

About the existence and limitations in the application of science and technology Firstly, the scale of science and technology application is still small, the number of science and technology products applied to agricultural production is still modest, not commensurate with the country's agricultural development requirements. Basically, the transfer and application of science and technology achievements in agricultural production in Vietnam in recent times is still on a small scale, mainly on household scale and farms using few workers. The number of agricultural enterprises applying modern science and technology to production and high-tech agriculture is still very small. As of June 2021, only 49 enterprises have been granted valid certificates; There are 12 regions and 11 agricultural and forestry zones applying technology recognized by the Government and localities9. This is a significant barrier in developing large-scale commodity agriculture based on the application of modern science and technology. Therefore, the products produced are still small in quantity and inconsistent in quality, so competitiveness is low and it is difficult to access demanding markets.

Even with agricultural units and models applying high technology in some localities, the scale of research and application activities is still modest, not strong enough to be a driving force in promoting Develop research activities, transfer and widely apply science and technology to agricultural production in neighboring areas in each region. On the other hand, although the number of researched science and technology products serving agriculture has increased (period 2011 - 2020), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has recognized 529 new varieties and 273 technical advances. , 185 inventions, 440 technical processes...10, but the actual number transferred and applied to agricultural production in a common and widespread way is still small. Especially in the mechanization and preservation of agricultural products. According to the National Agricultural Extension Center, in the period 2016 - 2020, there were only 8 projects on mechanization, preservation and processing of agricultural products implemented at the ministerial level, including: 6 projects on tray plating, transplanting machines, and pineapple seeding machines. ; 1 water-saving irrigation project for pepper plants and 1 project to preserve and process medicinal herbs11. This is a very modest number for a country with the ambition to become an agricultural power.

The number of social science and humanities research projects serving agriculture has not received adequate attention; not yet widely available in localities across the country. This limitation leads to very low labor productivity in the Agriculture sector. According to data from the General Statistics Office, the average labor productivity in agriculture in the period 2015-2020 only reached about 47.39 million VND/worker/year. Compared to the general labor productivity of the whole country, according to real prices in the same period above, the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors are lower than the overall level, on average always below 50% of the overall level12. Second, the level of science and technology applied to agricultural production is still low. According to research results, compiled from many different projects and the Summary Report of the Science and Technology Development Strategy of the Agriculture and Rural Development sector for the period 2013-2020, the level of science and technology, especially machinery and equipment, Equipment applied to agricultural production in our country is still outdated and lacking in uniformity; On average, they are often 2-3 generations behind (equivalent to 20-30 years). There are even places where the level of technology in agriculture is 4-5 generations behind (about 50-70 years compared to countries with developed agriculture. Shown in a number of agricultural production fields, such as: (1) In the field of mechanization, the focus is mainly on land preparation (about 93%) and also mainly on rice. In other stages and other crops, the level of mechanization is still very low.

However, most of the level of machinery and equipment for land preparation has small capacity, only suitable for household sizes and fragmented fields. (2) In the stages of harvesting and preserving agricultural products, most machinery and technological equipment are 20-30 years out of date compared to the world. Meanwhile, the annual equipment innovation coefficient is still low at only 7%/year (equal to 1/2 to 1/3 of the minimum level of other countries). Therefore, most agricultural products are exported in raw or newly processed form; The technology to preserve fresh meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits is outdated, the scale is small, the cost is high, and the time is short, making it difficult to access or unable to compete with foreign agricultural products in markets. difficult like the US, EU, Japan... This is also one of the major limitations of the application of science and technology to agricultural production in Vietnam in recent times. Besides, the application of science and technology in many other fields, such as irrigation, electrification, chemistry, computerization... serving agricultural production is generally at a low level and lacks synchronization, not meeting the needs of agricultural production. requirements for agricultural modernization. Information technology and digitalization are only applied in high-tech agricultural models, cooperatives, and pilot models mainly. Most farmers still do not have access to modern, sustainable agriculture. Third, the process of applying science and technology to agricultural production has not brought high socio-economic efficiency and lacks sustainability. Many science and technology products and technical processes transferred and applied to production have not brought expected results; The requirements for increasing productivity and quality have not been simultaneously addressed

 

Ứng dụng AI vào sản xuất nông nghiệp. Ảnh: Danviet.vn.

Proposing basic solutions and policies to accelerate the application of science and technology in agricultural production in the coming years Firstly, it is necessary to supplement and improve mechanisms and policies on research, transfer and application of science and technology into agricultural production. This is a very important solution that not only creates a legal corridor but also removes bottlenecks to open up and effectively mobilize the resources and forces involved in this activity. Accordingly, it is necessary to comprehensively innovate state management of research, transfer, and application of science and technology into agricultural production nationwide and in each locality according to market principles; Build appropriate financial mechanisms to support the application of science and technology to local agricultural production; continue to build and improve mechanisms and policies on land to create favorable conditions for implementing the application of science and technology to agricultural production;

Supplement and improve investment policies to encourage and support businesses, farm owners, and farmer households to promote the process of innovation and application of science and technology to agricultural production. Second, improve the quality of human resources in agriculture. This is the most important solution, because agricultural workers are the force that directly selects and receives scientific and technological achievements into production, and they are also the ones who know how to mobilize and exploit resources for production. output in the most effective way. On the other hand, workers are also the force that regularly comes up with inventions and initiatives to improve equipment and technological processes in accordance with agricultural production practices.

Therefore, it is necessary to continue to diversify and innovate the content, forms, and measures of education, training, and fostering to improve the level of knowledge, skills, and innovation for workers in agriculture. . Implementing these contents and measures well will be decisive in accelerating the process of applying science and technology to agricultural production nationwide, as well as in each locality. Third, it is necessary to promote the role and improve the efficiency of state management in the application of science and technology to agricultural production.

 
 

Implementing this solution well will not only accelerate but also determine the effectiveness of the process of applying science and technology to agricultural production in our country today. Based on the guidelines and policies of the Party, the State, ministries, central branches and localities on science and technology activities, each locality needs to concretize and implement them flexibly and in accordance with reality. . Accordingly, it is necessary to promote the role and enhance the management responsibility of the government system at all levels, especially the responsibilities of heads of departments, branches, specialized branches and specialized staff in management need to be attached. Manage, guide and inspect the application of science and technology to agricultural production in each assigned area and locality. Fourth, continue to research and learn from other countries' experiences to choose appropriate agricultural production models; Investing in building a synchronous and modern agricultural and rural infrastructure system creates a foundation to accelerate the process of applying science and technology to agricultural production in each locality.

It is necessary to quickly transform the fragmented and small production model into large-scale commodity production, creating internal motivation to promote the application of modern scientific and technological advances in agricultural production. Prioritize the strong development of agricultural enterprises applying high technology; Agricultural zones and regions applying high technology act as a driving force in promoting research, transfer and application of new scientific and technological advances in agricultural production. Along with that, continue to mobilize and effectively use investment resources to build synchronous and modern agricultural and rural infrastructure, especially transportation systems, irrigation systems, and electricity systems. and information. Fifth, promote market development and cooperation in science and technology to serve agriculture. Implementing this solution well will create a rich supply source and increase opportunities for domestic entities to choose appropriate, modern, and advanced science and technology products. On the other hand, promoting cooperation in research, transfer, and application of science and technology with countries with developed agriculture is also an important solution for Vietnam to shorten time and improve research and mastery capacity.

Science and technology serve agricultural production in the fastest way. Sixth, promote agricultural production in a sustainable chain of links to open up opportunities to apply science and technology to agricultural production in our country. This is a solution with a very important position and role, not only contributing to accelerating the process of applying science and technology to agricultural production in a comprehensive and synchronous way but also creating a foundation for our country's agricultural economy to develop in the direction of agricultural production. Modern and sustainable. Conclude To soon realize the goal of industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas; Developing commodity agriculture on a larger scale towards modernity, productivity, quality, efficiency, competitiveness, bringing high added value and sustainable development; By 2030, Vietnam's agriculture will be ranked among the top 15 developed countries in the world. According to the goal set by the 13th Party Congress, it is inevitable to accelerate the application of science and technology to production.

The Party, state, ministries and each locality have many guidelines and policies to promote the development of science and technology activities to serve agriculture. The transfer and application of science and technology into agricultural production has achieved many positive results. Science and technology have made great contributions to the growth of the agricultural sector, improving the value of Vietnamese agricultural products... However, The transfer and application of science and technology still reveals shortcomings and limitations, slowing down the process of developing the country's agricultural economy according to the identified goals. Therefore, to overcome these shortcomings and limitations, it is necessary to have a system of basic, synchronous and comprehensive solutions; mobilize the participation of many forces both at the central and local levels; persistently implement for a long time, with high determination, in which the above solutions have a highly suggestive and general nature, and need to continue to be researched, supplemented, concretized and applied flexibly in implementation process.

Associate Professor, PhD. Hoang Van Phai – MSc. Nguyen Duc Tri – PhD. Hoang Minh Dep Academy of Politics, Ministry of National Defense

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