Minh Thuong, a garden owner in Phuoc Hoa B hamlet, introduces the smartphone-based irrigation software.

With just a few taps on his smartphone, Minh Thuong, a garden owner in Phuoc Hoa B hamlet, can water all 4 hectares of his family's Nam Roi and green skin pomelo garden.

Thuong said it takes him 1 hour to irrigate his entire garden using a sprinkler system controlled by his smartphone. The technology has helped him save water, labor and production costs.

He recalled, “In the past, it took me at least a week to water my garden. Now, thanks to technology, I can do it in 1 to 2 hours, with less cost. I can use my time to do other things, such as pruning and shaping a canopy for the trees.”

The irrigation software has helped Thuong optimize his use of land, water, and fertilizer and transition from traditional to modern agriculture, increasing his productivity, reducing his dependence on variable environmental and weather conditions, and producing greater economic efficiency.  

Thuong told VOV that he used to do irrigation manually using a motor or a homemade lawn mower but that method involved much water loss and risk to the plants. If the spray was too strong, it caused erosion of the soil, which affected the plants.

“The new sprinkler system releases just enough water to meet the needs of the plants and make them verdant. It saves time and money, and, most importantly, saves water. For example, we can change the programmed irrigation time to the night if the day is too sunny,” said Thuong.

Cu Lao Dung is the second largest fruit-growing area in Soc Trang province, with 5,000 hectares. This locality also has 3,000 hectares of secondary crops and 2,700 hectares of sugarcane.

Nguyen Van Dac, head of the district’s agriculture and rural development section, says the local administration has paid special attention to digital transformation in agriculture.

As a result, software has been put into operation and is already improving efficiency. Cultivation area management software is helping the agriculture sector track which plants are grown and which animals are raised in the locality. The software also updates and integrates data on local dikes, bridges, and sewers.

A pomelo garden in Cu Lao Dung uses the smartphone-based irrigation software.

Cu Lao Dung district is promoting the smartphone-based irrigation system, which has been well-received by local farmers.

Dac said the district’s OCOP products have been supported with traceability stamps, adding that this year the locality will deploy a software called facefarm to trace the area of origin.

“Right now, local farmers are making manual notes to satisfy export requirements and sometimes they forget to do it. But in the near future, coop teams will be asked to use an app to manage growing areas,” accoridng to Dac.

Digital transformation will help local farmers and businesses produce agricultural products of high quality at the lowest cost and with the highest profit.