Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Digital transformation provides a challenge andopportunity for sustainable agricultural and rural development and narrowinggaps between rural and urban areas, experts have said.

With therise of the digital economy, big data, artificial intelligence and otherapplications, digital transformation and smart agriculture in rural areas areinevitable trends.

“In theperiod of 2021-2025, rural areas must comprehensively and sustainably developadapting to new circumstances,” Nguyen Minh Tien, head of the Central CoordinationOffice for New-style Rural Area Building, said in a recent seminar on digitaltransformation in agriculture and rural development.

PrimeMinister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had approved a national programme on digitaltransformation for eight priority areas, including agriculture, said Tien.

This was animportant sector that needed to carry out digital transformation, he said.

“TheMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development has found that the trend ofdigital transformation is indispensable, so instead of passively lettinglocalities implement it spontaneously, it is necessary to approachcomprehensively and proactively via appropriate steps and roadmaps to buildsustainable rural areas,” the official said.

The ministryhas been carrying out digital transformation for 12 communes, of which YenHoa in Ninh Binh province and Vi Huong in Bac Kan province got positive resultswithin a few weeks of implementation.

In Yen Hoa commune,digitalisation in health care service has helped save 27 million VND (1,165USD) in two weeks. The money saved in one year is estimated at 600 million VND (25,900USD) for local people.

Meanwhile,in Vi Huong commune, the turnover of agricultural products has greatlyincreased thanks to digital transformation via resources such as Zalo, Facebookand e-trading floors like Shopee.

Informationand communication needs enhancing

Informationand communication play an important role for poor people in remote areas, saidTo Duc, head of the National Office for National Hunger and PovertyElimination.

Informationand communication development must be linked with digital transformation, Ducsaid.

“It isnecessary to set a goal of 80 to 100 percent of people in poor and remote areashaving access to the internet and mobile phone network,” Duc said.

The officehas set up measures to push digital transformation and build smart ruralareas, he said.

Meanwhile,the Ministry of Information and Communication (MoIC) has said that if Vietnamwants to be a powerful country by 2045, it must first succeed in the 4.0revolution, especially in digital transformation.

At present,digital transformation is mainly in health care, education, agricultureand tourism.

The MoIC hasbeen striving to provide mobile and fixed broadband coverage to all villagesand help all people use smartphones, and 80 percent of households haveinternet access by the end this year.

According tothe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, after 10 years ofimplementation, the National Target of New Rural Development had gainedsignificant achievements.

Sixty percentof total communes and 22.7 percent of districts nationwide have reached newrural criteria, while the living standards of rural people have considerablyincreased.

“In additionto the great achievements in new rural development over the past 10 years,Vietnam’s rural areas are currently facing many traditional and non-traditionalchallenges,” said Tien.

In2021-2025, the agriculture sector and the new rural development programmewill face great challenges.

The firstissue is climate change.  According to experts, Vietnam is one of the fivecountries most affected by climate change.

Second isthe challenge due to diseases in plants and animals, such as the COVID-19pandemic.

The diseaseshave changed the whole production chain, causing breaks in many productionchains and changes in habits of both producers and consumers.

Third isthe challenge of global competition. 

In theprocess of international integration, all products, including agriculturalproduce, cannot only compete in the domestic market but also compete withinternational corporations.

With theseshortcomings, the Party and Government have determined that rural areasmust develop to adapt to the new context in 2021-2025.

“The gapbetween urban and rural areas is further widening so it requires ruralareas to make changes to adapt to the circumstances,” Tien said.

“Information,science and technology application, especially digital technology is consideredthe preeminent solution to help narrow the gap and improve quality of ruralpeople’s lives,” he added./.