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Applying ICT to agriculture and rural development
A forum is being held in Can Tho city from August 15-18 for policy makers, managers and representatives from enterprises to discuss solutions for better application of information and communications technology (ICT) to agriculture and rural development.
The forum is part of the 12th conference on the cooperation and development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) which was co-organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the city’s people’s committee, and the Vietnam Informatics and the Ho Chi Minh City Informatics Associations.
A reporter from Radio the Voice of Vietnam interviewed the General Secretary of the Vietnam Informatics Association, Nguyen Long on the agenda of the forum. Exerpts from the interview:
Reporter: Why does the conference focus on the application of information technology and communication in agriculture and rural development?
Mr Long: As you know, ICT is of great significance to socio-economic development. So far, many people have thought about applying ICT to their daily management and business activities, but not to agriculture and rural development. This conference is aimed at learning about the reality of using ICT in rural areas and proposing effective solutions for state management agencies, making ICT become a useful tool for agriculture and rural development, especially in the Mekong Delta.
Reporter: Currently, the ICT infrastructure in rural areas has not met the urgent requirements for national modernization and industrialization. Does the conference discuss any solutions to overcome this situation?
Mr Long: Currently, we have built many post office stations and telecommunications networks at communal level in remote areas. So far, all the post offices have been connected to the Internet and many farmers, especially in the Mekong Delta are connected to the Internet. However, this does not meet the demands of economic development. Participants in the conference will discuss solutions to introduce the internet and telecoms services to farmers. Big enterprises and computer companies can provide farmers with low-cost computers. However, the most important thing for farmers is an ICT environment where they can access accurate and sufficient information.
Reporter: Do you think that it is essential to set up an agency which is responsible for providing accurate and reliable information for people in rural areas?
Mr Long: At present, many agencies are getting involved in providing information through websites, but there is no link among these websites, which results in inconsistent information. The Can Tho municipal People’s Committee has proposed to set up an information technology network in the Mekong Delta region at www.mekong.net to supply information to farmers. Meanwhile, An Giang and Bac Lieu provinces and Ho Chi Minh City have also designed their own models. The Ministry of Information and Communications has offered information about agriculture, seeds and seafood and we are working with the relevant agencies to combine these models into one information portal for local people.
Reporter: In recent times, some models of community-related information have taken shape in rural areas. What is your assessment of the effectiveness of these models?
Mr Long: So far, a general assessment of ICT models in rural areas has not been made, but there have been many good projects at present, such as a World Bank-funded project for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to build a rural information centre and boost Internet access at communal level and a project to build public ICT centres in rural areas.
Reporter: In your opinion, what can we do to help rural people access ICT services and apply ICT in an effective manner?
Mr Long: State management agencies should know about investment and development levels, as well as the demand for assistance to local people and businesses. Businesses should also help people understand better about ICT services so that they can talk to each other. There should also be an active participation and cooperation from the State’s management agencies, associations and businesses, particularly those who provide information on rural development.
Reporter: Thank you.
VOV
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