Google-funded project to enhance IT skills for 30,000 farmers
Google will team up with the Vietnam Farmers’ Union in a project to enhance computer, smartphone and Internet skills for about 30,000 farmers from nine provinces nationwide between 2017 and 2020.
President of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union Lai Xuan Mon speaks at the event . (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Googlewill team up with the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU) in a project to enhancecomputer, smartphone and Internet skills for about 30,000 farmers from nine provincesnationwide between 2017 and 2020.
Speaking at theworkshop on May 26 to launch the project, VFU President Lai Xuan Mon said theapplication of information technology in agricultural development helps improveproductivity of farmers and turn the agriculture into a high-value industry.
Mon cited the factthat in spite of the robust IT growth in Vietnam, the majority of the country’sfarmers know little about how to use computers, smartphones to get updates onlatest trends in agriculture from the Internet.
The VFU has providedthousands of smallholders with computer skill training but they mostly centeredon basic skills to access the Internet in search for cultivation techniques aswell as plant and livestock varieties. Training on how to apply technology in productionmanagement and looking for markets, and in daily life is still limited, henoted.
The Google-fundedproject aims to help VFU’s staff and members effectively apply IT inagricultural production, agribusiness, forestry and fishery across nineprovinces – Lai Chau, Bac Giang, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Lam Dong, Binh Phuoc, DongThap, Tien Giang, and Bac Lieu.
Through the project,Google will provide training for 540 union staff who, in return, will train30,000 farmers in direct and online sessions.
According to Google,over 50 percent of Vietnam’s labour force worked in agriculture but the sectoronly contributed to around 20 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, the agriculture isfacing threats posed by urbanisation and climate change, necessitating the useof technology to help farmers cope with challenges and improve economiceffectiveness of their production. -VNA
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President of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union Lai Xuan Mon speaks at the event . (Photo: VNA) 
