Young farmer manages black termite mushroom farm via smartphone

While working in the city, Nguyen Thi Thao Nhu (born in 2001 and living in Long Nguyen Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) once believed that success meant having a stable job. But after years of dealing with the pressures of the cost of living, office work, and her own limitations, the young woman decided to return to her hometown and embark on a journey toward self-sufficient farming.

The decision was far from easy for someone who had only recently graduated with a degree in business administration from Nong Lam University - Ho Chi Minh City. Thao Nhu's decision to leave the city and pursue a career in agriculture surprised many of her friends and neighbors. But for her, returning home was not a step backward. It was an opportunity to apply what she had learned to create value.

During this period of reflection, Thao Nhu found herself thinking about her hometown, the former Bau Bang District in the former Binh Duong Province, where her family had long been engaged in farming but continued to face challenges due to reliance on traditional experience and an unstable market.

After returning home, Thao Nhu enrolled in specialized training courses on black termite mushroom cultivation, studied mushroom spawn production, explored the species' biological characteristics, and conducted hands-on trials.

For Thao Nhu, sustainable agricultural development requires control over the production process. Relying entirely on externally sourced spawn and mushroom substrates makes it difficult for growers to improve quality and respond proactively to market fluctuations.

From that conviction, she persevered in researching and refining mushroom substrate production techniques, taking control of every stage of the cultivation process. This is what sets the young farmer's approach apart. She is not simply growing mushrooms, but building a production model grounded in science and data.

According to our observations, Thao Nhu's mushroom farm uses IoT technology to monitor and control the growing environment. Rather than relying entirely on traditional visual observation and experience, key conditions inside the growing houses are monitored and controlled through a network of sensors. All data is transmitted directly to her smartphone, allowing Thao Nhu to monitor the farm from virtually anywhere.

Farming no longer means backbreaking labor

In addition to monitoring the growing environment, sensor data allows Thao Nhu to assess mushroom growth at each stage and adjust cultivation practices accordingly, helping improve product quality and harvest rates.

According to Thao Nhu, applying IoT technology not only enables more precise farm management but also delivers clear economic benefits. The automated irrigation and misting systems operate only when needed, significantly reducing water consumption compared with manual methods. At the same time, automating multiple stages of production helps substantially reduce labor costs, minimize cultivation errors, and lower risks from weather conditions, pests, and diseases.

By maintaining better control over growing conditions, Thao Nhu's mushroom farm has achieved stable yields and product quality while reducing losses. The farm currently supplies about 1 metric ton of organic black termite mushrooms to the market each month. The products are sold steadily through a network of vegetarian restaurants and mushroom distributors in Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces and cities.

Stable market demand not only supports the model's sustainable development but also motivates Thao Nhu to expand production and share cultivation techniques with local farmers interested in developing mushroom farms.

For Thao Nhu, the modern farmer is not simply someone who produces agricultural goods but also someone who understands the market, manages production, and takes an active role in the value chain. Beyond her own operation, she also shares her experience with local households interested in developing mushroom production. In her view, when knowledge is shared, local agriculture has greater opportunities to become more professional and sustainable.

Commenting on Thao Nhu's IoT-based mushroom farming model, Truong Quoc Anh, Deputy Head of the Biotechnology Division at the Southern Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology (IAS), said that a young farmer's use of IoT to produce black termite mushrooms aligns well with the trend toward high-tech agriculture. The model requires close control of environmental conditions, including temperature, humidity, and sterile conditions. The use of sensors and automation not only reduces production risks but also improves productivity, product quality, and economic efficiency. The model has strong potential for wider adoption if supported by systematic investment in technology and market development.