Dong Thap supports farmers in moving towards modern, professional farming

In the past, farmers largely relied on long-standing practices and habits in production. However, as consumer standards become increasingly stringent, they must change their mindset and equip themselves with new knowledge to plan production and respond to rapid market changes.

Changing farmers’ mindset

As farmers in Dong Thap boldly adopt new approaches, many models have shown clear results.

Dang Quang Giau, from the Tan An Ornamental Flower Cooperative Group, not only grows multi-coloured chrysanthemum varieties for the Tet market, which have gone viral on social media, but has also diversified into experiential tourism.

“Based on consumer preferences, I decided to cultivate new and unique flower varieties for the first Sa Dec Flower Festival. The following year, together with other members, we expanded the cultivation area, growing flowers on water and offering boat rides for tourists. From 2023 to 2025, more than 50,000 visitors came for sightseeing and experiences. For us flower growers, we should not focus solely on selling during a few days of Tet, but need to change our approach, collaborate with other farmers to ensure abundant supply, connect with tourist sites, and showcase local products to visitors,” Giau said.

In the fruit-growing sector, farmer Doan Thanh Hien, Head of the Science and Technology Club for Mango Cultivation in My Tho Commune, has developed a set of production criteria to standardise product quality: tasty, safe, attractive, uniform, abundant, and affordable. This serves as a foundation for Cao Lanh mangoes to strengthen their competitiveness and access new markets.

According to Hien, the “tasty” and “safe” criteria are the prerequisites, meaning products must have distinctive flavour and be completely safe for consumption. “Attractive” and “uniform” address the aesthetic and packaging standards required to penetrate demanding markets. “Abundant” and “affordable” are achieved by increasing productivity through scientific and technical applications, producing larger volumes at lower cost while still ensuring profits for growers.

Affordable pricing is about competitiveness, not selling at a loss, but selling in greater quantities. At the same time, it enables safe products to reach a wider consumer base while maintaining profitability for orchard owners.

“When implementing the professional farmer model, I realised that mango growers in the past mainly followed traditional habits, so productivity was limited. Shifting from traditional to modern practices and producing to recognised standards has been well received by consumers and businesses. At times, supply could not keep up with market demand. I also regularly share these results with other orchard owners so they can produce higher-quality mangoes for the market,” Hien said.

The approaches of Giau and Hien show that farmers’ professionalism is steadily growing, regardless of farm size, and instead dependent on professional capacity. When farmers are willing to change, they gain more knowledge, become better at planning and achieve greater economic returns for themselves and their families.

Policy support for farmer development

Alongside farmers’ own efforts, the role of policies and support systems across various sectors and levels play a decisive role. In Dong Thap, the development of professional farmers has been translated into concrete initiatives and action programmes.

Since 2023, the province has launched a campaign to build “professional farmers”, laying the groundwork for building the capacity of more than 371,000 farmer association members across the province. In addition, through cooperatives and cooperative groups, farmers are able to share experiences, access market information, and apply science and technology.

Through such linkages, farmers have learned to produce based on market signals, shifting from raw commodities to value-added products and from individual production to value chains, thereby creating well-known agricultural brands such as mango, lotus, pangasius fish, and ornamental flowers and plants.

Many farmers in Dong Thap are representing a new generation of agricultural workers, who are proactive, creative, and capable of applying scientific advances and embracing digital transformation. They are moving towards organic production, minimising environmental impact, and creating high-quality and environmentally friendly products, while also focusing on brand building and value-adding practices.

However, to develop professional farmers, the role of the state and organisations in facilitating this process remains indispensable. Accordingly, regulatory agencies need to continue refining policies, creating favourable conditions in terms of infrastructure, capital, training, and market linkages.

Agricultural extension systems, farmer associations and related organisations should also transform their operations, shifting from providing purely technical support to actively supporting farmers in developing the agricultural economy.

Phan Van Thang, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Committee of Dong Thap Province, said the province is determined to shift from a management-oriented administration to a facilitating and supportive government, focusing on addressing obstacles facing businesses and farmers.

The province has also tasked the Farmers’ Association with coordinating with the agricultural sector to effectively implement emulation movements in production and business, in conjunction with the campaign to build professional farmers, considering this a breakthrough model for the development of the provincial Farmers’ Association.

At present, the “professional farmer” model in Dong Thap has begun to yield tangible results. The provincial Farmers’ Association will focus on strengthening grassroots-level branches, honouring innovative farmers, and strengthening training, support, and collective economic development to build a long-term foundation for productive farming.

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