Comprehensively innovate agricultural extension activities

The 2025 National Agricultural Extension Conference marked an important milestone, as it was the first time to comprehensively review the results of reorganizing and consolidating the agricultural extension system under Circular 60/2025/TT-BNNMT, linked to the two-level local government model. It was also an occasion to implement the national agricultural extension development strategy through 2030, with a vision toward 2050.

According to the National Agricultural Extension Center (NAEC), after nearly a year of implementing the new model, the grassroots agricultural extension system has been streamlined and placed under the commune-level public service centers, ensuring unified guidance aligned with production realities. This model enables extension officers to stay close to the fields, supporting farmers in disease prevention, disaster response, and sustainable livelihood development.

Mr. Le Quoc Thanh, Director of the NAEC, stated that modern agricultural extension not only provides technical support but also serves the mission of assisting state management and promoting economic thinking in agricultural production. According to Mr. Thanh, developing agroecology and smart rural areas requires extension officers to be more professional and knowledgeable about markets and technology than farmers, in order to effectively accompany them.

“Agricultural extension must become an ecosystem connecting production, market, and environment, supporting farmers to join cooperatives and groups, stabilize their livelihoods, and develop on their own land. Extension officers must capture information, apply technology, digital transformation, and scientific advances. This is essential to build a modern, smart agricultural extension force capable of meeting new tasks in the current development phase,” emphasized Mr. Thanh.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Phuc, Vice Chairman of the Lam Dong Provincial People’s Committee, the agricultural extension system has played a crucial role in the comprehensive development of local agriculture. Following the administrative merger, Lam Dong now covers over 24,000 km², the largest area in the country, with nearly 940,000 hectares of agricultural land, including more than 107,000 hectares using high-tech applications. The province leads the nation in producing key crops such as vegetables, flowers, coffee, and fruit trees.

“Lam Dong Province is actively streamlining the agricultural extension system under the two-level local government model, linking provincial and commune levels through grassroots public service units. Despite initial challenges in staffing and organization, the province is committed to implementing comprehensive solutions so that extension officers operate professionally, stay close to farmers, and work toward sustainable agricultural development and improving local livelihoods in the new period,” Mr. Phuc affirmed.

Several localities and agricultural businesses openly shared difficulties and shortcomings in current agricultural extension development. Many highlighted that production linkages, supportive policies, and enterprise participation remain inconsistent, creating obstacles to implementing effective models.

Additionally, extension staff need to enhance their expertise and gain knowledge of markets, technology, and production management to meet the demands of modern agriculture. Businesses also expect a professional agricultural extension system to become an important bridge, collaborating with them in value chain linkages, supporting farmers in accessing markets, and improving productivity and product quality.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam highly values the important role of the agricultural extension system in developing agriculture, improving farmers’ livelihoods, and building new rural areas. He directed provinces to continue streamlining the extension system under the two-level local government model, ensuring it is lean, effective, efficient, close to the people, and directly supportive of agricultural production.

Looking ahead, Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam proposed a comprehensive reform of agricultural extension with an agricultural economic mindset, putting farmers at the center. He emphasized expanding activities from technical transfer to providing information, guiding production organization, linking value chains, and developing electronic and digital agricultural extension services.

In addition, it is necessary to strengthen socialization and public-private cooperation, and to enhance the capacity of extension officers, collaborators, and community agricultural extension groups. Research and training partnerships with businesses should be promoted to support farmers in accessing markets, applying technology, and managing production sustainably.

Deputy Minister also instructed units under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to coordinate with local authorities in implementing the agricultural extension development strategy through 2030, with a vision toward 2050. This includes improving policies and mechanisms, carrying out key projects, and enhancing the quality of staff training to build a sustainable, stable, efficient agricultural sector that can adapt to market changes.

According to NAEC, there are currently over 5,100 community agricultural extension groups nationwide, with nearly 50,000 members. This network continues to prove effective by delivering technical knowledge, policies, and market information directly to villages, while also helping farmers more quickly access scientific advances and new production models.