'Cradle of Young Farmers'... Jeonbuk Gimje 'Smart Farm Innovation Valley' First Nationwide Completion

20-Month Practical Training for Prospective Young Farmers and Establishment of 'Startup Incubation Center'

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs: "Nation's First Achievement... Smart Farms Growing Like a Cluster of Grapes"

The Smart Farm Innovation Valley in Gimje-si, Jeollabuk-do, completed on the 29th, the first of its kind nationwide. (Photo by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The 'Smart Farm Innovation Valley,' a key industrial complex nurturing prospective young farmers, was completed for the first time nationwide on the 29th in Gimje, Jeollabuk-do. The government announced that it will develop this site into a 'cradle' for realizing national tasks such as smart farm education for prospective young farmers and support for rental-type smart farms.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) reported that about 100 people, including Minister Kim Hyun-soo, Gimje Mayor Park Jun-bae, and young farmers, attended the Innovation Valley completion ceremony at Baekgu-myeon, Gimje-si, Jeonbuk, at 2 p.m. on the same day. After Gimje was selected as the Innovation Valley hub in August 2018, construction took place over two years starting December 2019, culminating in this completion ceremony. Of the approximately 21 hectares (about 63,525 pyeong) site, 9 hectares (about 27,225 pyeong) will house core facilities such as nurturing, rental, demonstration greenhouses, and a support center.

MAFRA plans to focus on ▲young farmer startup incubation ▲rental-type smart farm support ▲smart farm technology research and demonstration support at this site. Through this, they aim to spread smart agriculture personnel and technology and create an ecosystem for data-driven farming.

First, through the Smart Farm Young Startup Incubation Center, prospective young farmers will receive 20 months of the latest theoretical and practical education. Outstanding trainees will be given opportunities to improve management and cultivation skills for three years at rental-type smart farms. The smart farm demonstration complex will provide participating companies with facilities, equipment, and demonstration support services for smart farm technology validation. The big data center will collect foundational data so that smart farm data produced at the Innovation Valley can be utilized nationwide.

Near the Innovation Valley, research and development (R&D) infrastructure such as the Rural Development Administration, private breeding research complexes, the National Food Cluster, and the Electronics and Components Research Institute will be leveraged to establish a 'research-demonstration-certification' system to enhance synergy effects. To diversify smart farm crops and increase farm income, a business model linking the development of functional crop seeds to product commercialization (functional foods) centered on the Innovation Valley will be established.

The government has actively promoted smart farm expansion policies to respond to agricultural crises such as the decline in agricultural workforce and climate change. The smart farm expansion plan has been selected as one of the eight leading national tasks alongside future cars, fintech, and new energy industries, reflecting significant effort. Therefore, great significance is being placed on the completion of the nation's first Innovation Valley.

Minister Kim Hyun-soo of MAFRA attended the completion ceremony and said, "Congratulations on overcoming numerous difficulties and seeing the fruits of efforts as the first nationwide completion." He emphasized, "Here, young people will challenge smart agriculture and achieve sustainable agricultural innovation using advanced agricultural technology and big data, so smart farms will grow like clusters of grapes around this area."

Minister Kim added, "We will do our best to advance our agriculture into future agriculture through the spread of smart agriculture and technological innovation," and said, "I hope this will be a valuable opportunity to spread the smartization of regional agriculture in cooperation with local governments centered on the Innovation Valley."

MAFRA announced that the Smart Farm Innovation Valley completion ceremony in Sangju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, will be held on the 15th of next month. Innovation Valleys in Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do, and Miryang-si, Gyeongnam, selected in March 2019, are also planned to be completed in the first half of next year.

A bird's-eye view of the Jeollabuk-do Innovation Valley. (Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)

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