Implementing Decree No. 13/CP dated March 2, 1993 of the Government, the agricultural, forestry and fishery extension system is organized synchronously and unified nationwide and develops strongly in all regions. grant.
That day, at the Department of Agricultural Extension under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, only 1 year after establishing the agricultural extension system, in November 1994, the publication “Vietnam Agricultural Extension Information” officially launched its first issue. . The birth of the Newsletter promptly met the wishes of agricultural extension officers, technical officers, and agricultural producers nationwide.
This is also a common forum for Vietnam’s agricultural extension system, contributing to the transfer of technical advances, promoting production and increasing income for farmers, gradually improving the effectiveness of agricultural extension activities. At that time, Director Nguyen Ngoc Thuy believed and expected that “Vietnam Agricultural Extension Information is truly a friend of farmers”.
Since the first issue, through periods with different names, “Vietnam Agricultural Extension News” has matured, turning thirty years old.
At the Central Fisheries Extension Center under the Ministry of Fisheries, after a period of operation, in 2001 the Center’s apparatus was consolidated. Right from the first days of its establishment, the Center’s Director Tran Van Quynh had a policy of focusing on fishery extension information activities and determined to quickly publish and distribute the Center’s Newsletter to serve the work of fishery promotion. leadership of central agencies, providing the nationwide fishery extension system with information on new technologies and techniques, about the market, and moving forward to form a fishery extension information network so that units and teams can Fishery extension workers can access information regularly.
And so “Vietnam Fisheries Extension Information” – the first issue was born just a few months after the Center stabilized its organizational structure. Minister of Fisheries Ta Quang Ngoc at that time expressed his hope for the Newsletter “From the first issue, it has been truly practical, becoming a trusted friend of our country’s fisheries workers”.
Up to now, since the first issue was released, through periods with different names, “Vietnam Agricultural Extension News” has matured, turning thirty years old.
30 years – a glorious historical journey with the Vietnamese agricultural extension system. From the first issue in 1994, periodically 1 quarterly/issue with 32 pages, then 64 pages, until the period 2004 – 2010, Vietnam Agricultural Extension Information published with increasing frequency continuously from 1 issue, 2 issues, 3 issues then 4 issues/month with printing quantity continuously increasing from 5,000 – 7,000 – 10,000 copies/issue.
In recent years, thanks to the application of digital technology, the National Agricultural Extension Center has stably published 1 issue/month, printed 5,000 copies/issue, and posted the electronic version on the Vietnam agricultural extension website (khuyennongvn.gov.vn). ) so that readers can easily find and update information promptly. To date, Vietnam Agricultural Extension News has published 250 issues of the Newsletter with more than 1 million printed copies, nearly 20 thousand news and articles. Currently, the agricultural extension centers of the provinces periodically publish the Provincial Agricultural Extension Newsletter with a frequency of 1 quarter/issue.
The Vietnam Agricultural Extension Newsletter has continuously developed and innovated in both content and form, serving as a handbook to help agricultural extension officers and farmers grasp information on policies, guidelines, and progressive transfer. techniques in production, introduction of typical models, information on agricultural extension activities in localities, information on agricultural extension activities in other countries, information on agricultural market prices.
Later, according to the new task requirements of the industry, the Newsletter adjusted and opened a number of categories such as Agricultural Extension Events, New Rural Construction, Vocational Training for Rural Workers… But one can see a difference. In general, the content of technical advances and new technologies in the fields of crop production, animal husbandry and aquaculture accounts for the largest number of articles.
The Vietnam Agricultural Extension Newsletter has diverse content, easy-to-understand language, and elegant presentation, to meet information requirements in the field of production and to easily reach a large number of readers, farmers and fishermen. country.
To organize and deploy the publication of the Newsletter, the Center’s leaders all participate in the Editorial Board. In addition, the Center also recruits journalism and editing graduates to directly “lead” the work; along with engineers specializing in fisheries, farming, animal husbandry…, all of whom have expertise and the ability to grasp quickly (which are essential qualities in information workers).
There is even an expert who is the Head of the Editorial Board of the Fisheries Magazine (Ministry of Fisheries), with 30 years of “senior” working in the industry, of which more than 15 years in the journalism “career” as an “advisor”. ” for the Director in organizing the editing, publishing and distribution of the Newsletter, and operating the machinery in accordance with the direction of the Ministry and the Center’s leadership.
All the team “huddled” together in everything, from application procedures for publishing licenses, building content outlines, discussing categories, inviting participants to write articles in each specialized area. subjects, organizing a network of collaborators and publishing… to the stage of designing the sleeves, creating the marketing, monitoring the pre-production, printing and delivering the Newsletter to the right addresses. Thanks to the efforts of each individual and good coordination within this “core” group, the work went quite smoothly.
Right from the first issue, the Vietnam Agricultural Extension Newsletter has clearly defined the publication’s publishing direction as “diverse content, easy-to-understand language, elegant presentation” to meet information requirements in the field. production and to easily reach a large number of readers, farmers and fishermen nationwide.
Admittedly, it will not be easy to ensure regular publication of the Newsletter with set release deadlines if a wide team of contributors cannot be organized. The Newsletter Editorial Board has done this well. In addition to the “writers” in the Center and the information provided by the Ministry’s units, the Newsletter also has a network of collaborators who are “intimate partners” in sending news, articles, and photos from many parts of the country.
Besides, there is also information sent to the Newsletter by the producers themselves, bringing the hot breath of production life. All of them have regularly transferred to the Editorial Board a rich amount of “materials” to build “houses” that are more and more imposing, more solid, able to withstand the vast “sea of information”.
Among the Ministry’s information publications at that time, Vietnam Agriculture/Fisheries Extension Information was always highly appreciated because of its practicality and closeness to the lives of farmers, considered people of all ages. companion not only of local agricultural extension officers but also of a large number of farmers across geographical and ecological regions throughout the country, bringing them useful and practical information, “helping them “help themselves” as the motto of agricultural extension, so that they can get the best results in productive labor, contribute to hunger eradication and poverty reduction and get rich.
Currently, in addition to periodically publishing Vietnam Agricultural Extension Information, the Information and Propaganda Department – National Agricultural Extension Center also undertakes many other tasks such as building agricultural extension publications, Vietnam agricultural extension website, Coordinating with agencies to organize agricultural extension events is increasingly effective and widespread.
“We have faith that agricultural extension communication activities will achieve more success with a team of competent and “fiery” staff in action, along with the guidance of the Center’s leadership. National Agricultural Extension – people who are passionate about the country’s agricultural extension cause, continue to be companions with farmers nationwide on the path of developing agricultural production and building new rural areas” – representative of China National Agricultural Extension Center said.
