The workshop was organised under the project “Empowering smallholder farmers through AI-powered certification and traceability for sustainable agriculture in Viet Nam”, which is part of the Aus4Innovation programme—a 10-year partnership among Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Australia's national science agency CSIRO, and Viet Nam's Ministry of Science and Technology to promote innovation and digital transformation for sustainable socio-economic development.
The project is led by Griffith University in partnership with the STAMEQ, the Certification Centre (QUACERT), and the Quality Training Centre (QTC). It aims to develop an AI-powered digital platform to help farmers, cooperatives, enterprises and certification bodies apply standards, digitalise production processes, conduct conformity assessments and improve product traceability, thereby contributing to the development of a modern, transparent and sustainable agricultural sector.
At the workshop, Griffith University officially transferred the V-Standard digital platform to STAMEQ, marking an important milestone in translating the project's research outcomes into practical applications. The handover also reflected the commitment of both Vietnamese and Australian partners to transferring knowledge, technology and innovative solutions for real-world implementation.
The platform provides end-to-end support for the implementation of agricultural standards and certification, covering farm, crop and plot management, electronic production records, evidence management, conformity assessment, and product traceability through QR codes. V-Standard also enables integration with Viet Nam's National Product and Goods Traceability Portal, helping to establish a transparent and interoperable data ecosystem to support agricultural quality management.
In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh stressed that digital platforms and AI should be developed to help farmers, cooperatives and businesses reduce compliance costs, improve transparency and strengthen the international competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products.
The Deputy Minister described the project as a vivid example of effective cooperation between Viet Nam and Australia in science, technology and innovation. He noted that its user-centred approach demonstrates how research outcomes can be translated into practical solutions that address the real needs of agricultural production.
Addressing the workshop, Renée Deschamps, Chargé d'Affaires of the Australian Embassy in Viet Nam, said the project exemplifies the effectiveness of Australia–Viet Nam cooperation in promoting agricultural innovation and digital transformation. Implemented by Griffith University and STAMEQ under Viet Nam's Ministry of Science and Technology, the initiative brings together the expertise, technology and shared vision of both countries to strengthen agricultural certification and traceability systems.
She also noted that the V-Standard platform not only leverages advanced technologies such as AI and real-time data processing to improve the efficiency and transparency of certification and traceability, but also places farmers and businesses at the centre of innovation, helping them gain greater access to high-value markets.
In addition to introducing the V-Standard platform, the workshop also presented GS1-compliant traceability solutions integrated with Viet Nam's National Traceability Portal, introduced certification procedures based on Vietnamese and international standards, and shared practical experiences from cooperatives already using the platform to manage production and prepare for certification.
Closing the event, Tran Dang Khoa, Vice Chairman of the STAMEQ, praised the valuable insights shared during the workshop, noting that it had opened up new opportunities for collaboration among government agencies, science and technology organisations, certification bodies, businesses and producers.
He also expressed his hope for continued support from the Australian Government, the Aus4Innovation programme, Griffith University and the business community to ensure that the project's achievements move beyond pilot models and are deployed on a wider scale, contributing to the development of a modern, transparent and sustainable agricultural sector in Viet Nam.
Following its pilot implementation in Viet Nam, the V-Standard platform has delivered encouraging results. As of May 2026, the system was managing data for 147 farms, 19 cooperatives and producer groups, 150 land plots, 127 crop seasons, and 142 product categories. It had also created 230 user accounts, received 1,015 supporting documents uploaded to the platform, and recorded 620 system monitoring logs.
