'K-Agricultural Technology' That Revived War Ruins Receives Love Calls from Around the World

Rural Development Administration's 'Overseas Agricultural Technology Development Project (KOPIA)' Receives Positive Response from Various Countries

Centers Established in 22 Countries Including 8 in Asia and 7 in Africa

Experts Dispatched to Developing Countries Since 2009 to Develop and Disseminate Technology

From Barren and Cramped Lands

Possessing Know-how to Become an Advanced Agricultural Nation

Despite Various Local Adverse Conditions

Achieving Results Through Customized 'Appropriate Technology' Transfer

[Jeonju=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The 'K-Agricultural Technology' that revived technical agriculture from cramped and barren lands and war ruins is gaining global attention. The 'Overseas Agricultural Technology Development Project (KOPIA),' which develops and disseminates customized agricultural technologies tailored to each developing country, is another name for Korean agricultural technology recognized in the global market.

KOPIA, since 2009, has dispatched agricultural technology experts to developing countries including 8 in Asia, 7 in Africa, and 7 in Central and South America and Central Asia, to develop, demonstrate, and disseminate customized agricultural technologies for each country. It is a project that dresses Korea's exceptional resilience and know-how?having risen to an advanced agricultural nation despite all adverse conditions?in the form of an Official Development Assistance (ODA) project. The Rural Development Administration, the main agency, has established bases (KOPIA centers) in 22 countries worldwide to date.

◆ Three Years for Country-Specific Technology Development = KOPIA is a long-term project that, like other ODA projects, starts with developing the most optimized technology for the local environment. Each project phase?technology development, on-farm demonstration, and pilot village introduction?usually takes more than 2 to 3 years.

Recent consecutive achievements in partner countries have confirmed the necessity and significance of the project domestically, leading to an increasing budget trend. The KOPIA-related budget, which remained around 9 billion KRW until 2016, increased to 10.9 billion KRW in 2017 and has gradually risen each year, reaching about 17.3 billion KRW this year. Approximately 67 billion KRW has been spent on agricultural technology development in overseas developing countries over the past five years. Although the budget per country is somewhat tight at around 700 to 800 million KRW on average, it is a uniquely large scale for ODA projects in the agricultural technology sector.

Although the crops to be cultivated and technologies vary greatly by country, generally, office space and farmland for crop cultivation tests are provided free of charge through consultation with the partner governments, and Korea dispatches experts including center heads for long-term assignments. About 40 personnel, including center heads, experts, and researchers, are dispatched annually to 21 countries (excluding Myanmar, where cooperation has been suspended). Notably, center heads stay in the host country for periods ranging from 5 to 15 years, sharing hardships and successes. This is why the Rural Development Administration's KOPIA project is considered sincere and why partner governments present certificates of appreciation.

A trainee is guiding local residents on seed potato seedling propagation work at a seed potato farm site in Chimborazo Province, Ecuador, in October 2018.

◆ Focus on ‘Appropriate Technology’ to Overcome Adverse Conditions = There are ongoing calls worldwide to attract KOPIA centers and Korean agricultural technology. The inclusion of agricultural cooperation in the 20th item of the joint declaration from the Korea-Central America Integration System (SICA) summit held last June is highly significant. The joint declaration states, "Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation for sustainable agriculture, including climate change-responsive variety improvement, through the Korea-Latin America Food and Agriculture Technology Cooperation Council (KoLFACI). In particular, they expressed interest in expanding agricultural technology cooperation such as digital agriculture and carbon neutrality in conjunction with the 4th KoLFACI General Assembly next year."

Compared to agricultural powerhouses like the United States and China, which are global granaries, Korea's agricultural technology strength lies in 'appropriate technology.' The core is developing agricultural systems suited to local conditions and environments while ensuring sustainability by considering limited infrastructure and the acceptance capacity of local farmers. The Rural Development Administration explains that it is not just about having good agricultural technology but also requires machinery, economic infrastructure, operational personnel, education systems, and maintenance capabilities.

In particular, developing countries place great expectations on Korea's history of rising to an advanced agricultural nation in a short period despite resource and infrastructure shortages and economic devastation, achieving self-sufficiency in staple crops (rice). While the United States and China represent large-scale, mechanized agriculture, Korea inherently possesses the resilience to 'overcome' all kinds of adverse conditions.

Jang Ancheol, Director of the Overseas Agricultural Technology Division at the Rural Development Administration's Technology Cooperation Bureau, emphasized, "Korea may not be the best in terms of production volume or ultra-precision technology, but from the demand countries' perspective, finding optimized 'appropriate technology' is more important. Korea has a diverse and broad technology spectrum due to its geographical and climatic characteristics."

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