Vietnam has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past few decades. From a food-insecure country, it has emerged as one of the world’s leading food exporters, with agriculture playing a pivotal role. Nearly 40 per cent of Vietnam’s land area is dedicated to agriculture, with rice as the dominant crop, followed by maize and rubber. Agriculture remains the major employer, engaging 43 per cent of the country’s 92 million people, many of whom are smallholder farmers. Despite this, agriculture contributes just 18 per cent to Vietnam’s GDP, and challenges such as small plot sizes and limited access to modern technology still impede the growth of the sector .
One of the critical challenges for Vietnam’s smallholder farmers is the digital divide and their limited access to advanced agricultural technologies. The average smallholder farm in Vietnam is only 0.4 hectares, and many farmers lack access to extension services that could provide vital information on modern farming practices. Only 5 per cent of family farms benefit from agricultural extension services, and nearly 40 per cent of the value of production is spent on agricultural inputs. This shows the significant barriers that farmers face in adopting new technologies that could boost productivity, reduce costs, and make farming more sustainable.
Addressing these challenges, the Australian Government, through the Aus4Innovation program, has stepped in with a bold initiative to empower smallholder farmers in Vietnam by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) into the agricultural sector. With a $1.45 million boost from the Australian Government’s Aus4Innovation program, projects led by Australian universities and Vietnamese partners aim to develop technological solutions that will support sustainable agricultural practices .
These projects focus on the use of AI for carbon farming, geospatial technology to provide real-time crop data, and digital traceability and certification for sustainable farming. By leveraging these technologies, smallholder farmers will have access to tools that enhance agricultural productivity, improve climate change resilience, and open up new markets for their products .
One of the standout projects from the Aus4Innovation Partnership Grants is a collaboration between Griffith University and Vietnam’s Commission for Standards, Metrology, and Quality. This project is designed to empower smallholder farmers through AI-powered certification and traceability for sustainable agriculture. By implementing an AI-driven system, the project ensures effective farm monitoring and product traceability, aligning Vietnamese agricultural products with global standards. This not only builds trust but also enhances sustainability in the agricultural sector .
Through this partnership, smallholder farmers in Vietnam will gain access to technologies that will transform how they farm, improving yields, increasing incomes, and reducing the environmental impact of agricultural practices. The digitalisation of agriculture, coupled with AI-powered tools, offers a promising future for Vietnam’s agricultural sector. These technological advances will help ensure that smallholder farmers are not left behind in the global shift towards more sustainable, tech-driven agriculture .
As these innovations take root, they hold the potential to shape Vietnam’s agricultural landscape, benefiting not only individual farmers but also the broader sector. By providing farmers with the tools and knowledge they need, Australia and Vietnam are working together to create a more resilient, sustainable, and productive agricultural system.
Dr Sara Quach Thaichon is a member of the Griffith Asia Institute and one of five researchers on the CSIRO-DFAT Aus4Innovation grant (A4I129) “Empowering Smallholder Farmers Through AI-powered Certification and Traceability for Sustainable Agriculture in Vietnam”, Thanh Tam Nguyen, Sara Thaichon, Hui Tian, Alan Wee-Chung Liew and Park Thaichon.
