Page 68 - Agricultural innovation

Figure 17. Staff of Economic and Technical Team and farmers
Source: Research Team 2022

for each type of crop and livestock for 52,443 turns of farmers, while also regularly monitoring the
activities of 175 clubs Department of Agriculture Extension in the province.
Demonstration models and science and technology transfer were also carried out by this group.
For rice, the Technical and Economic Team has propagated certification for 14,852 farmer households
with a total cultivation area of 3,864 ha; intensive farming model “3 decrease–3 increase” for an area of
1,433 ha with an average of 1 ha per farmer.
For vegetables and fruit trees, the economic and technical teams have implemented 137 models:
growing vegetables in net houses, using agricultural mulch in green vegetable production, making use
of the bare land around the house to grow straw mushrooms, reishi mushrooms. abalone mushrooms...
In the field of livestock, poultry, aquatic products, economic and technical groups have helped
farmers implement many effective models, such as fattening beef cattle, raising reproductive cows,
raising pigs, chickens, and ducks, raising snakes and elephants, intensive and semi-intensive black tiger
shrimp farming, raising blood cockles in coastal alluvium...
In the field of agricultural mechanization, economic and technical teams have actively participated
in the demonstration of mechanical machines and equipment for production such as combine
harvesters, rice dryers; participated in assisting many farmers in legal procedures to get preferential
loans to buy agricultural machines.
In addition to professional work, the staff of the Economic and Technical Teams also participate in
many other activities in the locality such as coordinating with veterinary specialties to do vaccination,
plant protection to grasp the epidemic situation and other activities, agricultural project programs,
new rural construction (as production models), rural vocational training.
Thus, the establishment of the commune-level economic and technical team has well solved the
link between farmers and the market, promoting the application of advanced production models.
This model has brought scientific and technical knowledge to farmers faster and more efficiently. In
particular, the problems arising in the farming process of the people are consulted and solved by a
team of technicians in a timely manner to reduce losses and increase production efficiency.
Institutionally, applying this model in Kien Giang province has provided lessons learned to build
management and operation for community extension groups that the Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Development introduced in the process of renewal of current agricultural extension network in
the new situation.

Agricultural Innovation Review in CLV Countries 61