Digital Agricultural Technology Dissemination... "Creating Rural Areas Where Youth Want to Live"

RDA Announces This Year's Work Plan... "Rural Areas Have Infinite Potential"

Lee Sang-jae, Planning and Coordination Officer at the Rural Development Administration, briefing on this year's work plan of the Rural Development Administration. (Photo by Rural Development Administration)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Rural Development Administration (RDA) will focus on disseminating digital agricultural technologies this year and creating a rural foundation that attracts young people back to farming communities.

On the 4th, the RDA announced its 2021 work plan, emphasizing five key tasks including "development of data-driven high-efficiency digital agricultural technologies," aiming to realize "rural areas where people want to live and farmers who are happy with their lives."

First, it will develop data-driven high-efficiency digital agricultural technologies that maximize convenience, productivity, and quality in agriculture by utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI).

It will expand data-based intelligent farm (smart farm) technologies such as precision control of nutrients and water, and automatic pest and disease diagnosis using image information to open-field cultivation.

Furthermore, to improve the productivity of open-field crops, it will develop open-field digital-based technologies using drones, satellites, and autonomous robots.

To respond to rural depopulation, the RDA will collaborate with related ministries and institutions to strengthen the technological entrepreneurship capabilities of young farmers and expand the technology startup incubation infrastructure.

Additionally, it will establish a comprehensive technical support system necessary from preparing for farming and entrepreneurship to settling in the region and growing into professional farmers, thereby creating a farming foundation that attracts young people back.

In regions with high risk of depopulation, customized regional specialized agricultural technologies will be applied, and research will be strengthened to increase consumption of regionally led agricultural products that combine local specialties and food culture.

Moreover, to expand the recently growing interest in healing agriculture, experts in healing agriculture services will be trained.

Developing innovative technologies to improve food self-sufficiency is also one of the major tasks this year.

Functional wheat varieties suitable for specific uses such as 'Hwanggeumal' and 'Opri' and barley varieties to enhance added value will be developed, and domestic rice varieties tailored to regional conditions and consumer demand will be expanded to replace foreign rice varieties.

Underground drainage technologies and cropping system technologies using rice paddies will be developed to diversify the use of paddies, and varieties optimized for mechanization in dry-field farming will be developed to improve food productivity. Development of dry-field farming machinery utilizing advanced technologies, such as the ride-on onion transplanter, will also be strengthened.

Customized technologies will be disseminated to resolve difficulties in the agricultural industry field.

To this end, new technologies such as agricultural machinery access information and accident detection alarm systems using IoT will be introduced on-site, and projects to improve agricultural work risk factors will be promoted.

The pesticide safety information system will be improved to be user-centered, strengthening the distribution and safety management system of agricultural materials.

Demonstration research on composite heat source utilization models using renewable energy such as solar and wind power will be conducted.

Additionally, technologies that can be applied to various agricultural facilities based on green hydrogen will be developed, and farm-customized early warning services to reduce damage caused by weather disasters will be expanded.

Cooperation with advanced technology countries will be strengthened to lead the development of cutting-edge technologies, and digital agriculture cooperation with international agricultural research alliances and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will be promoted.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Korean-style (K)-agricultural technology-based desert rice cultivation technology will be pilot-applied, and a third phase of demonstration research will be conducted to expand the cultivation area on a large scale.

Also, in cooperation with AfricaRice, support will be provided for developing rice varieties adaptable to local climates, sharing the achievements of Korean-style (K)-agricultural technology development.

Heo Tae-woong, Administrator of the Rural Development Administration, emphasized, "Although rural depopulation is a concern due to aging and population stagnation, and difficulties arise from climate change, agriculture holds infinite potential to create innovation and growth through science and technology. We will do our best to create 'rural areas where young people want to return and live' and improve the lives of farmers and the public by developing and disseminating field- and user-centered digital agricultural technologies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.