Jeonnam Province Operates Smart Farm Youth Startup Incubation Program

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province announced on the 25th that it will operate a Smart Farm Youth Startup Incubation Program to help young people settle in the region through startup farming using smart farms.

The ‘Smart Farm Youth Startup Incubation’ targets young people aged 18 to under 40 who wish to find employment or start a business in smart farming.

It is a specialized agricultural education course designed to reach a level where independent management is possible through 20 months of practical training focused on smart farm fieldwork.

The program proceeds in stages: an introductory course (2 months) where participants learn advanced technology theory such as facility environment management; a practical training course (6 months) where they directly practice what they learned in the introductory course; and a management-type practical training (12 months) where trainees directly produce, sell, and manage.

Additionally, among the graduates of the incubation course, 12 top performers are selected and granted priority admission to the Jeonnam Smart Farm Innovation Valley’s rental-type smart farms (3 years) to facilitate early settlement in farming, along with eligibility for comprehensive smart farm funding support. The funding support can be up to 3 billion KRW, with a 5-year grace period and 10-year repayment terms.

Last year, the province selected 52 first-term trainees and is conducting the practical training course at leading farms and training institutions such as Suncheon National University to gain on-site practical experience.

This year, after the recruitment announcement in May, applications will be accepted, and through document screening and expert interviews, 52 final trainees will be selected in August.

Jeonnam Province is establishing the ‘Smart Farm Innovation Valley’ in Goheung, scheduled for completion this year, which includes incubation practice farms for more systematic operation of the smart farm youth startup incubation project, rental-type smart farms for young farmers to reside and manage, and demonstration complexes for fostering upstream and downstream smart agriculture industries.

Park Cheolseung, Director of the Food and Horticulture Division of Jeonnam Province, said, “We will nurture experts to lead Jeonnam’s smart agriculture through systematic, field-centered practical education so that young people can settle stably in rural areas.”

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