Confronting this reality, Điện Biên is progressively transforming its production methods, accelerating scientific and technological applications, and advancing green, smart agriculture to diminish reliance on natural conditions while enhancing yield, quality, and the value of agricultural produce.

In Mường Lạn commune, Phan Nhất Tea Company Limited stands out as a pioneer in shifting production toward clean, safe standards. Since 2019, the enterprise began applying organically sourced pest control products and biological preparations in tea cultivation. Out of its existing 17ha of tea, 6ha has earned organic certification. From this raw material zone, the enterprise has developed 9 processed tea products. Phan Trọng Nhất, Director of Phan Nhất Tea Company Limited, noted that while producing organic tea remains an arduous path, sustaining high quality will generate long-term competitive advantages for the enterprise. Currently, the company holds two 4-star certified OCOP products and continues investing in quality enhancement to achieve 5-star OCOP standards.

Beyond organic farming, scientific and technological applications are also materializing across multiple other models. Điện Biên Import Export Commercial Joint Stock Company is an early adopter of technology in local agricultural production. Spanning more than 4ha, the enterprise zoned safe vegetable and fruit cultivation areas, investing in greenhouse systems, drip irrigation, organic fertilizers, insect traps, and biological control methods. Notably, the enterprise received assistance to construct a high-tech greenhouse under an experimental project on smart agricultural management. The system features microclimate control along with automated irrigation and nutrient feeding, integrated with sensors monitoring humidity, temperature, and light levels.

According to Nguyễn Phú Đỏ, Director of Điện Biên Import Export Commercial Joint Stock Company, the greenhouse project covers 720m² with multiple automated stages. Deploying technology enables the enterprise to take greater initiative in managing crops, pest infestations, and adverse weather conditions, thereby reducing dependence on nature.

Beyond enterprise-scale models, scientific and technological applications are progressively permeating various farming sectors, shifting farmers’ mindsets. In crop cultivation, production areas meeting VietGAP and organic standards alongside water-saving irrigation are expanding. Si Pa Phìn High-Tech Agricultural Cooperative maintains 5.05ha of certified organic land; Nam Dương Cooperative achieved VietGAP certification across 13ha; fruit trees cultivated by Điện Biên Import Export Company Limited meet GlobalGAP standards; and grapefruit and orange orchards operated by Cara Farm Việt Nam Company attained organic certification over a combined area of 3.5ha. In paddy rice cultivation, the BNS OPEN program was rolled out under the theme of a high-tech circular agricultural economic model on large-scale rice fields in Điện Biên. Currently deployed across 40ha of rice in Thanh Nưa commune, the model adopts smart farming practices including alternate wetting and drying, nano-technology fertilizer products, direct seeding and spraying by T50 unmanned aerial vehicles, GPS data acquisition tools, and electronic logs, while proceeding with emission measurements via low-altitude satellite systems.

In livestock farming, the province features 10 closed-loop, biosecure pig farms across localities such as Núa Ngam, Thanh Yên, and Tuần Giáo. Several models have formed linkages with enterprises, stabilizing product consumption outlets. In aquaculture, cage fish farming on irrigation and hydropower reservoirs like Pa Khoang, Huổi Phạ, and Hồng Sạt has developed effectively, elevating yields and rural incomes.

Nguyễn Đình Lai, Head of the Agricultural Sub-Department under the Department of Agriculture and Environment, stated that climate change is exerting increasingly visible impacts on local agricultural production. Consequently, shifting from reactive responses to proactive adaptation is imperative. The agriculture sector concentrates on enhancing forecasting and warning capacities and providing production guidelines aligned with weather patterns; adjusting cropping calendars and seed structures for each region; and prioritizing varieties with superior productivity, quality, and resilience. Alongside these efforts, the province promotes water-conservation solutions, rational input use, integrated pest management, and biosecure livestock breeding. The locality is progressively forming concentrated commodity raw material zones for advantageous crops such as coffee, macadamia, and pineapples, linking production with preliminary processing, manufacturing, and consumer markets.

Practical realities demonstrate that smart agricultural development need not start with complex, costly technologies. For Điện Biên, this trajectory is realized through practical solutions matched to local production realities, including stress-resilient varieties, water-saving irrigation, organic fertilizers, biological preparations, greenhouses, electronic field diaries, product traceability, and integrated pest management.

Developing smart agriculture remains a long-term journey requiring companionship among the State, enterprises, cooperatives, and farmers. The agriculture sector adheres to the principle of piloting, evaluating, refining, and scaling to ensure selected technologies are suitable, effective, and capable of wide application. This forms the bedrock for Điện Biên’s agriculture to adapt better to climate change, capitalize on local endowments, augment incomes, and build sustainable livelihoods for rural populations.