An Giang develops 73 large-scale rice fields for export

Farmer linkages as the foundation for technology transfer

The An Giang Agricultural Extension Center recently organized a conference to summarize the "Large-Scale Rice Fields for Raw Material Zone Development and Climate Change Adaptation" project for the 2022–2025 period. The conference aimed to assess the project's achievements, identify challenges and limitations, and draw lessons learned as a basis for proposing and implementing activities in the next phase.

Currently, rice production in An Giang still faces numerous challenges, including fragmented cultivation, high input costs, overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, large greenhouse gas emissions, and unstable output. These issues underscore the urgent need to transform production methods toward sustainability, low emissions, and climate change adaptation.

According to Ms. Huynh Dao Nguyen, Director of the An Giang Agricultural Extension Center, a key role of linkages in project implementation is to help farmers apply technical advances, particularly technologies serving rice production. To achieve this, first of all, it is essential to build linkages among farmers. This is the foundation for the synchronous application of technical solutions, thereby delivering substantive efficiency.

Synchronous technical application remarkably reduces costs

The project has been implemented across a total area of more than 5,582 ha, comprising 73 large-scale rice fields and attracting the participation of 2,027 farmer households. The establishment of fields of 50 hectares or more has helped overcome fragmented production, facilitating the synchronous application of technical processes, mechanization, and digital transformation in rice production.

One of the project's highlights is the synchronous application of technical advances in rice farming. 100% of the cultivated area uses certified level-1 rice varieties such as Dai Thom 8, OM18, and ST25. Many cooperatives have applied mechanized sowing methods, including row sowing and drone sowing, helping save seed, reduce labor costs, and improve uniformity.

Thanks to the application of the "1 Must, 5 Reductions" process, chemical fertilizer use has decreased by 15–20%, while the number of pesticide sprayings has been reduced by an average of 2 times/crop, yet rice yields have remained stable or even increased slightly. This is clear evidence of the economic and environmental benefits delivered by the model.

The project has also introduced high technologies into production. Smart pest monitoring stations enable automated surveillance, provide early warnings, and support farmers in applying control measures at the right time. In 2025, alternate wetting and drying (AWD) sensors were introduced for water management, contributing to irrigation water savings and methane emission reduction.

With the results achieved, the "Large-Scale Rice Field" project in An Giang has been assessed as an appropriate production model in the current context, contributing to cost reduction, enhanced rice value, lower emissions, and climate change adaptation. More importantly, the project has laid a solid foundation for the formation of large raw material zones that meet the requirements of domestic and international markets, toward the sustainable development of the rice industry in An Giang province and the entire Mekong Delta.