Less than 1% of cultivated land utilizes high technology.

In the 10 years since the implementation of the Resolution of the 14th Congress of the Son La Provincial Party Committee on the transformation of crop structure on sloping land, the development of fruit trees on sloping land has changed the face of Son La.

Looking back over the past decade, Ms. Cam Thi Phong, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Son La province, affirmed that the flexibility and effectiveness of the resolutions issued by the province have significantly contributed to the sustainable development of agriculture in the locality. Support policies – from building seedling nurseries to planting areas, supporting the establishment of cooperatives… – have enabled Son La's agriculture to continuously advance.

Farmers in Moc Chau district participate in a technical training course on soilless vegetable cultivation technology. Photo:Quynh Chi.

After more than 3 years of implementing Resolution No. 08 of the Son La Provincial Party Committee on the development of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries in a concentrated, sustainable manner, applying high technology until 2025, with a vision to 2030, Son La's agriculture has now transformed, becoming a phenomenon nationwide, ranking first in the North and second nationwide in terms of fruit tree cultivation area.

However, out of over 210,000 hectares of cultivated land, Son La province currently has only more than 51 hectares under cultivation.greenhouseHigh-tech applications account for 0.02%. Although the province has policies to support and encourage farmers to apply high-tech agricultural production solutions, the number of households with sufficient resources to invest in greenhouses remains limited.

Ms. Phong stated that some current policies have revealed shortcomings and need to be adjusted to better suit practical realities. Accordingly, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Son La province will continue to advise the province on amending Resolution 128 of the Provincial People's Committee on encouraging businesses and cooperatives to invest in agriculture and rural areas.

Dr. Leone Magliocchetti Lombi - Head of Technical Department of the "Smart Agriculture for Future Generations" Project
Visiting a model greenhouse supported by an investment project in Son La province. Photo:Quynh Chi.

Besides,Son La agricultureThe transformation of the province's appearance is also thanks to contributions from projects, organizations, and research institutions both domestically and internationally. The province actively encourages the participation of investors and support programs to promote agriculture and rural development.

Besides the "Smart Agriculture for Future Generations" project, a series of other programs and projects have also had a positive impact on Son La, such as the project to improve climate change adaptation for the coffee value chain; improving sustainable livestock productivity for livelihoods, nutrition and gender inclusion; promoting market-oriented agroforestry and forest restoration in the Northwest region…

"With the active support from local authorities in all project activities, farmers in Son La have seen significant changes in their thinking, awareness, and methods of producing goods, becoming increasingly more aligned with market demands," said Ms. Cam Thi Phong.

Gaps in agricultural value chain linkages

The "Smart Agriculture for Future Generations" project is a shining example of multilateral cooperation in Son La. 34 farming households inMoc Chau districtThey received technical support from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute (Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development). Thanks to this, they have mastered techniques for plant and soil health care, and are confident in producing clean fruits and vegetables.

Farmers in Son La are increasingly focusing on investing in high-tech fruit and vegetable production. (Photo:)Quynh Chi.

“Although people have access to advanced farming technology, there are still many steps that need to be perfected. The project currently focuses only on the production stage, but subsequent stages such as harvesting and preliminary processing need to be improved.”post-harvest preservation"It has not yet received adequate investment," commented Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director of the Institute of Horticultural Research.

According to the plan, 34 participating farmers will receive support for registration and certification under the VietGAP standard. This is an important first step for Moc Chau's safe vegetables to gain a firm foothold in the market.

In addition, Dr. Hung believes that developing direct distribution channels will reduce dependence on traders and ensure that the value of products reaching consumers remains stable.

For Son La's agricultural products to reach further and penetrate larger markets, close coordination is needed between farmers, managers, investors, and the agricultural processing plant system in the province.

Source: nongnghiep.vn