The "extended arms" in the fields

(Baonghean) - In recent years, the province's agricultural production has made remarkable progress in both productivity and output. The structure of crops and livestock has shifted in a positive direction. Large-scale specialized production areas have been gradually formed for high economic efficiency. To achieve that result, in addition to the efforts of farmers and the province's support and investment mechanisms, there is also a significant contribution from the grassroots agricultural extension staff.

Following Mr. Le Dinh Quang - Deputy of the Agriculture Department, in charge of Plant Protection and agricultural extension worker of Phuc Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) to learn about the agricultural production situation, we felt the enthusiasm and dedication to the work of those working in agricultural extension. Having just visited the corn field to test new varieties in hamlet 1, he hurried to check the overall foliar fertilizer model for spring corn in hamlet 4. He also did not hesitate to go to the livestock and poultry barns of households to grasp the growth and development of livestock and provide additional instructions on how to prevent and control seasonal diseases. He also proactively coordinated with organizations, advising the Commune People's Committee to build programs and work plans suitable for each season and each year. Thanks to the effectiveness of agricultural extension work, farmers in the commune are increasingly proficient in intensive cultivation of key crops such as rice, corn, etc.

Mr. Le Dinh Quang shared: “Doing grassroots agricultural extension work means staying close to the fields, wading through the fields with farmers to guide and help them carry out production, ensuring that it follows the plan and season. Even when I go out around the neighborhood, I also take the opportunity to propagate and help people apply the correct techniques for raising and producing livestock. Besides, I also have to listen to the opinions of the people themselves to have a way to convey scientific and technical advances appropriately, so that people can easily understand and confidently apply them.”

Cucumber growing model following VietGAP standards in Xuan Lam commune (Nam Dan).

In Phuc Thanh commune, the grassroots agricultural extension system is evaluated by the District Agricultural Extension Station to be quite effective. In addition to advising the station, the Commune People's Committee builds demonstration models and provides training in science and technology for farmers. Commune agricultural extension officers also coordinate harmoniously with the village and hamlet agricultural extension team to regularly check fields, predict and forecast pests and diseases in a timely manner. Particularly in 2014, the agricultural extension system and the Commune Agricultural Board actively propagated and mobilized people to convert ineffective rice land to grow valuable crops; popularized and selected plant varieties and intensive farming techniques to help increase crop yields.

In Yen Trung hamlet, 8 hectares of ineffective rice were converted to corn with a yield of 5 tons/ha, 8 hectares of rice were converted to high-yield beans... In coordination with the Agricultural Extension Station and seed companies, successful models of testing hybrid corn varieties PAC 999, 669, 339 on a scale of 5 hectares; a model of testing Lactofol foliar fertilizer for winter corn on an area of ​​2 hectares; a model of intensive cultivation of purple waxy corn in winter on a scale of 1 hectare... The results of testing 3 hybrid corn varieties showed that the yield was 30 - 40 kg/sao higher than the control corn variety (C919). The foliar fertilizer model yielded 56.7 quintals/ha, 4.7 quintals/ha higher than the control, and the profit reached 25,840,000 VND/ha, nearly 5,000,000 VND/ha higher than the control... According to the commune leaders, these models need to be replicated for the next crops and planted on different lands because this is a corn variety that brings high economic efficiency and reduces the cost of plant protection drugs.

In recent years, the grassroots agricultural extension system in Nghia Dan district has been operating relatively stably, and specialized commune-level agricultural extension officers with professional qualifications are gradually being rejuvenated. According to Mr. Bui Quoc Tuan - Head of Nghia Dan Agricultural Extension Station: Currently, the district has 25 commune-level agricultural extension officers and 311 village and hamlet agricultural extension officers. Every year, the station organizes 10-12 training courses for grassroots agricultural extension officers. Each agricultural extension officer is assigned to implement, monitor, supervise, and evaluate agricultural extension models in their locality; coordinate with the station to train and hold model seminars for farmers... In 2014, the station directed grassroots agricultural extension officers to coordinate with localities to organize production and supply of plant and animal varieties according to people's requirements; successfully build demonstration models, such as applying reasonable density combined with sprinkler irrigation technology for raw sugarcane on a scale of 1 hectare in Nghia Hieu commune; Through evaluation, the model yield reached 82 tons/ha, net profit 26,000,000 VND, increased 30% compared to mass planting. The model of caring for sugarcane LK 92 - 11 on an area of ​​2 hectares, yield reached 81 tons/ha, total revenue reached 64,000,000 VND/ha, net profit increased 18% compared to mass production. Or the model of raising new breed of broiler chickens according to VietGAP with a scale of over 1,000 chickens, survival rate over 95%, chickens reaching an average weight of 2.2 - 2.5 kg/chicken; profit from the model increased more than 17% compared to normal farming...

Currently, the whole province has 468 communes and wards with agricultural production, each commune is assigned an agricultural extension officer based on one of the two positions of Plant Protection or Commune Veterinary. The main job of each commune agricultural extension officer is to direct and guide people in production to ensure the time frame, especially the key agricultural and forestry production programs of each district. In addition, agricultural extension officers are also the core force that regularly inspects fields, detects pests and diseases of crops and livestock, and reports to local authorities and specialized agencies to promptly take effective prevention and control measures. Each agricultural extension officer is also an active propagandist, a "bridge" to bring the Party and State's policies and guidelines on agriculture and rural areas to farmers. Organize training courses, transfer scientific and technical advances, promptly meet the needs and production seasons at the grassroots level, actively support farmers to apply them to actual production at home, prevent and control diseases, and protect production effectively. Agricultural extension workers also regularly advise farmers to understand the mechanisms, policies, and orientations for developing the local agricultural, forestry, and fishery economy, and apply technical advances to production and post-harvest processing of agricultural products to increase the value and cost of products.

Assessing the role of this force, Mr. Cao Xuan Tuan - Deputy Director of Nghe An Agricultural Extension Center said: "The team of grassroots agricultural extension workers are the friends of farmers, knowledgeable about the fields, so they can easily convey information and knowledge of science and technology to farmers. Therefore, for many years, grassroots agricultural extension workers have been the right arm of the agricultural sector in understanding the thoughts and aspirations of the people, thereby proposing the right policies and methods to bring about efficiency, contributing to gradually increasing income per unit of cultivated area, developing agriculture in the direction of high-quality goods. However, in some localities, grassroots agricultural extension workers are not really passionate about their work, lack initiative in building agricultural extension programs and plans; coordination with organizations, sectors and unions in the area is not high. The position of commune agricultural extension workers is unstable, due to many changes, they lack experience in agricultural extension activities. The main expertise of grassroots agricultural extension workers is currently Currently, the main focus is on the fields of cultivation, plant protection, veterinary medicine, and animal husbandry; other fields such as aquaculture, forestry, etc. account for a relatively small proportion.

Agriculture is increasingly developing and achieving many important achievements with the application of science, producing new plants and breeds with high productivity and economic value. However, to successfully implement and apply them in the reality of each locality, farmers need to improve their awareness and skills in production and animal husbandry. To do that, the active participation of the grassroots agricultural extension staff plays an important role, helping farmers have a golden harvest season.

Ngoc Anh