[Square] Agricultural Utilization of Functional Groundwater

▲Seosanggi, Head of Jeju Regional Headquarters, Korea Rural Community Corporation

The water consumed by humanity is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, and in addition to hydrogen and oxygen, water contains various components essential to our bodies. In the case of drinking spring water, which is frequently used in daily life, the market has rapidly grown into a trillion-won scale by 2020, utilizing brands that include beneficial components for the human body.

Along with the growth of the bottled water market, the water industry emphasizing beneficial components is also expanding. A representative example is mixed beverages branded by extracting natural components (calcium, magnesium) from deep ocean water of the East Coast or lava seawater from Jeju Island. Local governments have made policies for the water industry using functional groundwater. In Jeju Island, a resource survey on functional mineral groundwater was conducted in 2009, along with hydrogeological interpretation and a review of industrial utilization plans. In Jeollanam-do Province, a premium groundwater standard (J-Index) was established in 2016. Every year, ten premium groundwater sites are selected and designated as 'healthy and tasty water.' The premium groundwater selected in this way contains beneficial components such as molybdenum, lithium, selenium, and vanadium. Groundwater containing such health-beneficial components is called 'functional groundwater.'

According to research results, when groundwater containing a large amount of beneficial components is used for crop cultivation, it is possible to accumulate components beneficial to the human body in agricultural products as well. By utilizing this, it is possible to develop branded representative agricultural products using beneficial components dissolved in groundwater according to various geological characteristics in Korea. The author names this “functional agricultural water,” and currently, about 42,000 public agricultural groundwater wells are used nationwide. To utilize this, it is first necessary to classify wells by groundwater components and functions, followed by research and development to select crops that can utilize specific components. Using these results, the production of well-being crops based on beneficial groundwater components and branding of agricultural products will be possible, which may prepare a competitive future for Korean agriculture.

Recently, smart farms have been spotlighted as future-oriented agricultural technology for producing high value-added agricultural products. Using this, not only can various pest and disease damages be reduced, but also smart plant factory operations utilizing ICT-based hydroponics are possible. If hydroponic cultivation methods using functional agricultural water are activated at this time, it is expected to help enhance the competitiveness of Korean agriculture through the cultivation of premium crops.

Fortunately, the Korea Rural Community Corporation has recently begun comprehensive research and development on the effects of functional agricultural water on crop growth and the human body. It is hoped that these efforts will bear fruit, establishing plant factories as the core of future digital agriculture and laying the foundation for strengthening agricultural technology competitiveness. For this, systematic research and bold investment in functional agricultural water capable of supplying agricultural water and beneficial components are considered necessary.

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