Presented by Vu Hong Trang, IRRI, at the 6th International Rice Conference in 2023. The Agroecological TRANSITIONS: Socially Inclusive Digital Tools (ATDT) project is funded by the EU and managed by IFAD and implemented by the Alliance of Bioversity & CIAT. Learn more about ATDT and find project outputs here: https://bit.ly/AgLEDxATDT

1. Use of digital tools in
sustainable rice production
in the Mekong Delta,
Vietnam
Ong Quoc Cuong1, Vu Hong Trang1, Pham Thi Minh Hieu2,
Le Nhut Tao2, Katherine Nelson1
1 International Rice Research Institute
2 Can Tho Sub-department of Crop Production and Plant
Protection, Can Tho, Vietnam

2. Contents
Background
Objectives
Methodology
Data collection
Key findings

3. Vietnam’s network readiness is well established; farmers are advanced in digital use.
Background
Population:
98.56million
Internetusers:
72.1 million
Cellphoneconnections:
156million
Source:
1 Burra, D.; Hildebrand, J.; Giles, J.; Nguyen,T.;Hasiner, E.; Schroeder, K.; Treguer, D.;Juergenliemk, A.; Horst, A.; Jarvis,A.; Kropff,
W. (2021) DigitalAgriculture Profile: Viet Nam.Rome(Italy): FAO. 22p.
2https://www.slideshare.net/DataReportal/digital-2022-vietnam-february-2022-v01
3 Unpublished data fromfarmer survey, 2022
• Among the top 3 countries with the lowest cost for
information and communication 1
• The Internet is accessed by 73.2% of the population 2
Still
Only 3.3% of farmers use agricultural apps for rice farming 3
• 9 out of 10 farmers own a cell phone 1
• Robust public and private sector’s engagement in
digital agriculture

4. Emerging digital solutions in the rice value chain, a review of 33 existing and active
digital tools that support rice farming
Background
Toolswith technical advisory: 11
Toolswith performance assessment: 7
Toolswith precisionagriculture: 14
Toolswith climate advisory: 6
However,
Insufficient data on
the extent to which
these tools support
agroecological and
climate-informed
rice farming
Source:Barnard, J.,Vu, H.T., Nelson, K. 2022. Systematic review of digital resources for climate-informed
agroecological transitionsin rice in the Mekong Delta. Agroecological TRANSITIONS: Inclusive Digital Toolsto
Enable Climate-informedAgroecological Transitions (ATDT). IRRI. Hanoi,Vietnam.

5. Objectives of the study
The TRANSITIONS Digital Tools (ATDT) project will promote digital tool
innovations that enhance inclusiveness, integrate climate change
resilience and mitigation with agroecological aims, and enable farmers to
develop new practices.
Funded by EU and IFAD.
The survey aimed to
1) Understand the process of digital tools used during technical advisory
and performance assessment support for farmers;
2) Propose suggestions for the development or improvement of digital
tools for agro-ecological and climate-resilient rice farming.

6. Methodology & Data collection
181 rice farmers and 30 field agents
Structured questionnaires
Thoi Lai, Vinh Thanh, and Co Do districts, Can Tho, Viet Nam
October, 2022

7. Key findings – Farmer survey
● Publicmedia(TV,Radio)remainsthemostpopularmeans
● Followedbyotherdirectcommunicationchannels(i.e.
phonecall andchat groups)
32%
23%
22%
11%
6%
6%
Source of information on farming
Extension/Agricultural officials
Media/Advertisements
Family members/Other farmers
Cooperative
The contracted company
Other
144
118
81
52
43
11
6
8
0 50 100 150
TV, radio
Phone call
Messaging
Social media
Video/image
Weather apps
Agricultural…
Others
Type of digitaltools to access farming information

8. 27%
24%
19%
12%
10%
8%
Methods of receiving technical advisory
Meetings with field agents
Talking with other farmers/family members
Training courses
Digital means
Documents/printouts
Other
Key findings – Farmer survey
0 50 100 150
Rice variety
Fertiliser management
Water management
Market information
Climate change mitigation &
adaptation
No. of farmers receiving technical
advisory by topics

9. ❑ Most accessible and trusted sources of
information:
▪ Training/technical advisory by field
agents/cooperatives
▪ Field demonstrations
❑ Training sessions by contracted company
is highly trusted (6.5/10) but not very
accessible (3.5/10)
❑ Agricultural apps is moderately trusted
(5.5/10) but poorly accessed (0.5/10)
Source: Focus group discussion with farmers in Can Tho
Willingnessto use digitaltoolsfor
ricefarming
75%
14%
11%
Willing Neutral Not willing
Key findings – Farmer survey

10. ● 80% of field agents visit farmers’ fields at least 2-3 times/month
● 87% ask farmers for feedback on their assistance, 78% of themincorporate
farmers’ feedback to improve theirwork
● 90% support farmers in record keeping or collectdata on farming practices
Frequent and intensive direct interaction with farmers
Key findings – Field agent survey

11. 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0
3
6
9
12
15
18
Face-to-face
(field visits)
Face-to-face
(training)
Materials Digital means
Times/
month
Frequency and preferenceofuse
Technical assistance Performance asessment Preferred
● Face – to – face
interactions are less
frequent than digital
information exchange,
but the most preferred
method
● Digital forms are used
the most frequently,
also preferred
Key findings – Field agent survey

12. Takeaways
Only 3.3% of farmers use agricultural apps while other types of digital tools are
very widely used to inform/improve farming practices (45-80% of farmers)
Field agents remain the most relied source of support.
Field agents use digital tools to support farmers nearly twice as frequently as field
visits, still only 4% of the field agents use agricultural apps.
Face-to-face interaction and digital tools are the most preferred means.
❑ Digital tools should assist direct interactions between farmers and field
agents, rather than replacing it.
❑ Two-way interactions would make digital tools more beneficial for both
farmers and field agents.

13. Indicationsfor digitaltool development
❑ Functionalities to enable exchange of information to systematically improve farming
practices that are context relevant
❑ Enable benchmarking thresholds to assess farmers’ practices
❑ Consider stimulating long term engagement by users
❑ Advisory tools associated with telecommunication/messaging services would reach
farmers more effectively than stand-alone tools

14. Thank you!