Page 67 - Agricultural innovation

This is a new production method that replaces the traditional production method based on
individual farmers for many years, so the expansion requires step-by-step confirmation along with
practical drawing experience, and connection closely with training farmers, building new countryside.
Although it is a model of the rice industry, the Large Field can be applied to crops with similar farming
conditions such as coffee, sugarcane, tea, etc.

5.5. Model of Communal Economic and Technical Team in Kien Giang Province

5.5.1. General information
In the process of carrying out their production activities, farmers are always supported by the State’s
agricultural extension services through participating in training courses on models, technical support
from extension staff. Currently, there’s a 3-level organizational model, including National Center for
Agriculture and Fisheries Extension, Provincial Agricultural Extension Center and District Agricultural
Extension Station. In each commune, there is a grassroots agricultural extension that cannot meet the
needs of technical support for people in the development trend of agriculture and rural development.
Therefore, the technical support is often not timely, especially in the risks of livestock and crops (pests
and diseases). That is not to mention the technical support or advice on non-technical issues such as
the consumption market, the supply of input materials, etc.
Realizing these “breaks” of the current agricultural extension system, Kien Giang province took
the lead in establishing a commune-level economic and technical team to connect farmers with the
market (input, output, science and technology) to facilitate their production and promptly handle
difficulties and obstacles, reduce risks and accelerate the application of scientific and technological
advances to practice to increase income and improve living standards in the countryside.

5.5.2. Model development
The model of economic and technical groups has been implemented by the Department of Agriculture
and Agricultural Development of Kien Giang province since 2006. This is also the first province of
Vietnam to successfully implement the model of agricultural economic and technical groups to send
agricultural extension workers to the grassroots. At present, the Agricultural Extension Center has 116
agricultural economic and technical teams located in 116 communes in the province (including three
staff specialised in cultivation, animal husbandry and fisheries) and 12 agricultural extension workers in
the remaining communes. There are the teams of agricultural extension workers who work side by side
with farmers, transfer science and technology, significantly contribute to improving the lives of farmers,
changing the face of the countryside with practical jobs. In addition, the Economic and Technical Team
also contributes to advising commune leaders in fields related to agricultural production in the locality.
The staff in this economic and technical teams are district agricultural extension officers who are
sent to communes with a basic salary from the budget of agricultural extension, but they only guarantee
the basic salary, not counting their seniority and seniority. While the localities supported by arranging
working rooms at the headquarters of the Commune People’s Committee for the staff of the economic
and technical team to live and work. Some places also enthusiastically support monthly electricity
consumption, gas money for brothers to travel; District Agriculture and Fisheries Extension Center is
equipped with working desks, computers with internet connection, purchasing documents, etc.
During the operation, the staff of the Economic and Technical Team coordinated with the
authorities and mass organizations at the grassroots level to open nearly 5,000 classes of technical
dissemination for nearly 139,000 turns of farmers to absorb the following contents: rice cultivation,
vegetables, aquaculture, livestock and poultry farming. In addition, economic and technical groups
also coordinated with institutes, schools, program managers, centers to open 1,947 thematic classes

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