Hwasun-gun Expands 'Rural Development Projects' to Strengthen Agricultural Economic Power

[Hwasun=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Ji-woon] Jeonnam Hwasun-gun (Governor Gu Chung-gon) announced on the 23rd that it will expand rural development projects focusing on the growth potential and competitiveness of agriculture and rural areas, as well as enhancing the value of agricultural brands.

The county has allocated a budget of 7 billion KRW this year to lay the foundation for driving the development of agriculture and rural areas.

It is promoting four strategic projects: expanding smart farms, fostering specialized crops, producing safe agricultural products in response to climate change, and nurturing agricultural talents.

Since 2014, the county has established smart farms in 66 facilities for horticultural paprika, tomatoes, and strawberries (57 hectares), making Hwasun the largest smart agriculture hub in Jeonnam in terms of scale.

Since 2019, by installing and operating the ‘Smart Farm Support Center,’ the county has been sharing smart farm crop growth environment data with farmers in real time and enhancing smart farm operation capabilities.

Horticultural farmers have reported effects such as a 50% reduction in greenhouse management time and labor after adopting smart farms, an 18% increase in harvest volume, four times improvement in work convenience compared to conventional cultivation, increased agricultural income, and improved quality of life for farmers.

This year, the county plans to expand the smart farm area to livestock and open-field crops by promoting pilot projects such as improving breeding efficiency of Hanwoo and dairy cows and distributing open-field smart irrigation systems.

The cultivation area of Hwasun peaches is 235 hectares, the largest scale in Jeonnam, and the peaches, recognized for their product competitiveness, are being fostered as a specialized crop to raise nationwide brand awareness.

By investing over 700 million KRW by next year, the county plans to renew varieties reflecting consumer trends, spread eco-friendly labor-saving cultivation techniques, and establish a joint sorting base, aiming to develop the highest quality in Jeonnam by 2025 and the top national brand crop by 2030.

An official from the Agricultural Technology Center said, “Rural development projects are ‘seed projects’ for agricultural advancement, and the project budget has more than doubled compared to 10 years ago,” adding, “We will actively pursue convergence and complex projects such as healing and processing centered on core projects like smart farms.”

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