Farmers’ Awareness of Digital Transformation and Its Implications for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Vietnam

Abstract

Digital transformation is creating new opportunities for improving agricultural productivity, resource efficiency, market access, and resilience. However, these benefits depend not only on technological availability but also on farmers’ capacity to understand and engage with digital technologies. This study examines farmers’ awareness of digital transformation in Vietnam and explores its implications for sustainable agricultural development. Drawing on published empirical studies, systematic reviews, and relevant policy and institutional reports, the study synthesizes evidence on farmers’ awareness and understanding, differences across farmer groups, and the factors associated with these differences. The findings indicate that digital awareness remains uneven, with more advanced technologies generally less well understood than familiar or established applications. Education, digital skills, Internet access and proficiency, participation in training, exposure to pilot models, and production conditions emerge as important factors associated with differences in awareness. These disparities have broader implications for sustainable agriculture, as unequal digital capabilities may limit farmers’ opportunities to benefit from improvements in production efficiency, resource management, market access, and environmentally responsible practices. The study argues that farmers’ awareness should be viewed as an enabling condition rather than a direct determinant of sustainable agricultural outcomes. It concludes that agricultural digitalization in Vietnam requires a farmer-centered approach that combines technological investment with differentiated digital training, practical demonstration, technical support, and inclusive access. Such an approach is essential to ensure that digital transformation contributes to economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and socially inclusive agricultural development.