Son La shaping professional farming workforce

On June 27, at Thu Dan Tea Co., Ltd. (Binh Thuan Commune, Son La Province), the National Agricultural Extension Center, in coordination with VAN News and the Son La Department of Agriculture and Environment, organized a seminar titled “Professional farmers: New thinking - New methods - New values.”

Attending the seminar were Mr. Le Minh Hoan, former Member of the Party Central Committee, former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, and former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Mr. Le Quoc Doanh, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Chairman of the Vietnam Gardening Association; Mr. Phan Nhu Nguyen, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union; Mr. Le Quoc Thanh, Director of the National Agricultural Extension Center; and Mr. Tran Cao, VAN News Deputy Editor-in-Chief.

From Son La province, attendees included Mr. Hoang Van Chat, former Party Secretary and former Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council; Mr. Lo Minh Hung, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Council; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee; and Mr. Do Van Tru, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, along with a large number of experts, businesses, cooperatives, and outstanding farmers.

In his opening remarks at the seminar, Mr. Cao Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the National Agricultural Extension Center, noted that Vietnamese agriculture is entering a new development phase marked by epochal shifts: from agricultural production to agricultural economy; from output-driven growth to value-added enhancement; from single-sector development to multi-value integration; and from traditional growth to green, circular, and low-emission growth.

According to Mr. Tuan, in response to these trends, a new model of farmers must be formed based on three core pillars: new thinking, new methods, and new values. In particular, new thinking refers to shifting from producing what one has to producing what the market demands, and from individual production to linkage and cooperation. New methods are built on four foundations: applying science, technology, and digital transformation; standardizing production processes; proactively participating in cooperatives; and developing green and circular agriculture. These, in turn, generate new values such as branding, community responsibility, and market trust.

Clarifying this orientation from local practice, Mr. Duong Gia Dinh, Deputy Director of the Son La Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that in recent years the province has strongly shifted from self-sufficient production to large-scale commodity agriculture linked to markets and value chains. To date, the province has more than 85,000 hectares of fruit trees and Shan Tuyet tea, over 33,600 hectares of coffee, 825 agricultural cooperatives, and 216 growing area codes, laying an important foundation for farmers to transition from producers to key actors in the agricultural economy.

He added that in the coming period, Son La will continue to place farmers at the center of agricultural development, promote vocational training, develop the collective economy, advance digital transformation, and foster green and circular agriculture, aiming to build a new generation of young, entrepreneurial farmers capable of mastering science and technology and adapting to market demands.

Providing a concrete example of this transformation, Ms. Hoang Thi Tham, Deputy Director of the 26/3 Agricultural Cooperative, shared her experience in developing a model based on “dual transformation,” combining green transition with digital transformation and sustainable development. Since 2021, the cooperative has been utilizing spent mushroom substrate and other agricultural by-products to produce organic fertilizers; gradually applying management software for traceability and order management, while also developing green consumption models and steadily completing its value chain from production to consumption.

According to Ms. Tham, today’s professional farmer is not only someone who produces high-quality goods, but also someone who can apply technology, engage in production linkages, build brands, and generate economic, social, and environmental value.

The seminar is continuing with an open discussion session among policymakers, experts, businesses, cooperatives, and farmers, focusing on solutions to build a professional farming workforce that can meet the demands of modern agricultural development in the context of digital transformation and international integration.

Through presentations and practical exchanges, the program is expected to strongly promote new thinking and new approaches; accelerate the shift from agricultural production to an agricultural economy, and from individual production to value chain linkages, contributing to the development of a farming workforce equipped with knowledge, skills, digital capabilities, and the aspiration to create new value for Vietnam’s agriculture.