Like all students at AICAT, he participated in one of the main pillars of the curriculum - a Research Project. These projects link the practical training carried out by the farmer with the theory of the classroom. Students are immersed in the research project throughout his year of study and are involved in planning and carrying it out, collecting the necessary data, analysing it and drawing the relevant conclusions.
Upon his return to Vietnam, Tien took the knowledge that he gained from his project and turned it into his own startup business! He knew that there was a need for quality year-round vegetables at a reasonable price. So together with fellow AICAT alumni, they started to apply what they had learnt into their own farm, bringing modern agriculture into their communities.
He built greenhouses, designed drip systems and uses a smartphone to control water and fertilizer. All these helped him produce crops which reach higher prices due both to their quality and earlier harvest. This has helped him to become a supplier to two supermarket chains in his district. Other farmers in the same area still use "low tech" farming, but have started to come to him for advice on how to advance their farms.
When asked, Tien said one of the important things he learned at AICAT was seeing how working as a cooperative can be beneficial to everyone. He saw the strength that came with unifying production methods, species knowledge, tools, labour, packing and shipping. He also learnt how it important time management was - both his and his workers.
He remembers his time in Israel warmly, especially experiencing floating in the Dead Sea and all the food that he got to try on his trip to Jerusalem. He believes that his time at AICAT was more than an education, it was the beginning of his profession!
Tran Thanh Tien should be very proud of himself and the standard of agriculture he has reached and all the amazing crops he grows - all this in three years of opening his business! We wish him all the success in his future!
