Scientist Nguyen Minh Dong and the journey of transferring technology to 10,000 farmers

After nearly 10 years of transferring scientific and technical applications to more than 10,000 farmers, Master of Biotechnology Nguyen Minh Dong (born in 1988) has just been voted by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union as the National Scientist of Farmers in 2025.

Field workshop on technology transfer for farmers growing cut-flower mokara orchids

Converting new varieties to achieve high economic efficiency

Faced with the current situation of old cashew varieties with unknown origins, leading to low and uneven productivity and seed quality, Master of Biotechnology Nguyen Minh Dong (Department of Science and Technology of Lam Dong) researched and selected the new grafted cashew variety PN1 for farmers to convert in the blue sea Lam Dong area. This is a cashew variety recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for production and business. Through the solution of pruning, creating canopy, maintaining balanced height; fertilizing; using pesticides after planting, 18 months of flowering in many batches, fruiting in clusters of 4 - 10 fruits. From the 8th year onwards, the yield of seeds reaches 2,500 - 3,000 kg/ha, the kernel rate is 28% - 33%.

“The PN1 cashew variety has a high yield and quality compared to some old cashew varieties. This opens up the prospect of forming a large-scale specialized cashew growing area, changing the unsustainable farming practices of farmers in the communes,” said Master Nguyen Minh Dong.

The model of growing bamboo shoots in Tan Lap, Tan Minh, and Ham Tan communes, headed by Master Nguyen Minh Dong, has also been recognized by the Scientific Council of the Department of Science and Technology of Lam Dong as highly effective and having a scope of influence at the grassroots level. Previously, farmers in these communes planted two bamboo varieties, Manh Tong and Bat Do, harvesting about 10 tons/ha/year in the rainy season, with low economic value. Master Nguyen Minh Dong and his colleagues selected the new bamboo variety, perfected the technical process for more than a year, and started harvesting "bamboo shoots". From the 4th year onwards, the yield reached about 60 tons/ha/year. The outstanding advantage of bamboo shoots in the four seasons is that they are easy to grow, adapt to many types of soil, can be harvested all year round, and have a sweet taste, so they are favored by the market. Farmers have proactively propagated and expanded the model in and outside Lam Dong province.

Master Nguyen Minh Dong (second from right) at the four-season bamboo planting model

Many scientific topics and projects at all levels

Master Nguyen Minh Dong transferred technical applications to the above 10,000 farmers based on the results of 15 projects, scientific topics at the grassroots, provincial, ministerial, state levels and international cooperation in the past nearly 10 years. Typically, he participated in explaining and implementing an international cooperation project of the University of Liege - Belgium on solutions for managing, controlling diseases and enhancing the value of by-products in dragon fruit cultivation in 20 households in the Lam Dong blue sea area.

With the ministerial and state-level scientific project in the Lam Dong blue sea area, Master Nguyen Minh Dong presided over and successfully participated in 4 models of comprehensive intensive cultivation of sustainable cashew trees, with a scale of 21 hectares, 19 farming households; produced 30,000 boxes of cordyceps mushrooms/year, 20 households grew straw mushrooms; treated alum-contaminated water for daily use for 400 households affected by climate change; bred and raised crossbred goats for meat for 20 households.

At the provincial level, Master Nguyen Minh Dong participated in the implementation and acceptance of 3 projects on evaluating and documenting the genetic resources of custard apple trees; preserving and developing medicinal plants; linking production and consumption of organic cashews according to international standards. At the grassroots level, Master Nguyen Minh Dong chaired and coordinated with localities to implement 17 projects on raising French pigeons in a biosafety direction; growing high-yield pasture grass; seedless lemons; vegetables on substrates; raising Egyptian chickens and wild ducks; raising eels in cement tanks; growing green asparagus; lingzhi mushrooms and straw mushrooms; raising frogs in tarpaulin tanks; growing cut-flowered Mokara orchids...

“I have built more than 50 demonstration models for applying science and technology transfer, organized more than 30 field workshops for farmers to learn from experience and replicate the models. Thereby, farmers have access to many new production models, effectively applied in agricultural production, contributing to job creation and increasing income for local workers,” shared Master Nguyen Minh Dong.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/nha-khoa-hoc-nguyen-minh-dong-va-hanh-trinh-chuyen-giao-ky-thuat-cho-10-000-luot-nong-dan-391868.html