Applying digital technology in agriculture to trace origins and warn of diseases

On August 21 , the University of Education - Danang University in collaboration with 11 universities and research institutes at home and abroad organized the second International Conference on Biology - Agriculture , with the theme of sustainable development in the context of digital transformation. The event aims to concretize Resolution 36-NQ/TW on biotechnology development and Resolution 19-NQ/TW on agriculture, farmers, and rural areas to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Mr. Vo Van Minh, Principal of University of Education, University of Danang .

Mr. Vo Van Minh, Principal of the University of Education, Danang University, said: “Biotechnology, digital technology , artificial intelligence and smart farming systems are opening up new opportunities, contributing to solving vital problems”. According to him, Vietnamese agriculture is facing many challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion while the demand for food, medicinal herbs and food is increasing sharply.

At the workshop, Professor Dinh Minh Quang, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Biology Education, College of Education - Can Tho University, emphasized that digital transformation and biotechnology are becoming breakthrough drivers in aquaculture and livestock farming. “Digitalization helps increase transparency and traceability, but also exposes many barriers such as weak data infrastructure, high technology costs, unskilled labor, and difficulty accessing small-scale production households,” said Mr. Quang.

He proposed that the industry should strengthen genomic research and conserve indigenous genetic resources, develop high-quality livestock breeding programs, invest in the production of vaccines, biological products, and proteins from insects; at the same time, expand the circular farming model, apply IoT, AI, and blockchain in data storage and transmission to trace the origin and provide early warning of epidemics.

In the aquaculture sector, Mr. Nguyen Cong Can, Deputy General Director of Production and Trade in the North and Central Vietnam, Viet Uc Group, said that the shrimp industry is under a lot of pressure from diseases, climate change, environmental pollution and lack of synchronization in farming areas. To overcome this, many technological solutions are being deployed: automatic monitoring of pH, temperature, NH3, NO2; rapid testing of shrimp diseases in ponds; application of AI chatbot for technical advice, automatic feeding machines, shrimp counting devices; and at the same time, using weather and disease forecasting technology to proactively prevent risks.

“Humans are still at the center of operations, but technology will help diagnose diseases, measure indicators, and make accurate recommendations. AI can analyze big data to predict risks and optimize production processes,” Mr. Can emphasized.

Experts at the workshop agreed that the combination of biotechnology and digital transformation will be an important foundation to help Vietnam’s agricultural sector increase productivity, improve quality, ensure transparency and meet the strict requirements of the global market. However, to achieve this, it is necessary to train the digital workforce, deploy credit and financial support packages for farmers and small businesses, and strengthen data infrastructure and legal frameworks to promote sustainable digital transformation.

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/chuyen-doi-so/ung-dung-cong-nghe-so-trong-nong-nghiep-de-truy-xuat-nguon-goc-va-canh-bao-dich-benh/20250822022330225