"Now It's the Era of Technical Jobs in Agriculture"... 2030 Beginner Farmers Earn 'Hundred Million Won Income'

[Report] Visiting the Smart Farm Innovation Valley Site in Sangju, Gyeongbuk

[Asia Economy Gyeongbuk (Sangju) = Reporter Son Seon-hee] On the 18th, at the 'Smart Farm Innovation Valley' located in Sabalguk-myeon, Sangju-si, Gyeongbuk, stepping into the massive glass greenhouse that looks like something out of a science fiction movie, crops such as melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, and strawberries are growing neatly in rows. Thanks to the advanced technology that provides an environment optimized for growth, the crops have ripened to a uniform size as if they were factory-produced. Young novice farmers in their twenties were harvesting strawberries with somewhat clumsy hands.

The domestic agricultural sector is facing a major threat as the farming population continues to decline and rapidly ages, compounded by frequent abnormal weather such as heatwaves and monsoons due to climate change. The Smart Farm Innovation Valley, which integrates ICT technologies like big data into agriculture, is considered a key solution to overcome this crisis. Since 2019, the government has invested a total of 500 billion KRW to establish Smart Farm Innovation Valleys in four locations nationwide (Sangju in Gyeongbuk, Goheung in Jeonnam, Miryang in Gyeongnam, and Gimje in Jeonbuk). Among them, the Sangju Innovation Valley in Gyeongbuk received the largest investment (154.8 billion KRW) and boasts the largest facility nationwide (42.7 hectares). On the 5th of last month, President Yoon Suk-yeol personally visited the site.

(Left) Melons being cultivated at the Gyeongbuk Sangju Smart Farm Innovation Valley Youth Startup Incubation Center (Right) A trainee harvesting strawberries they personally grew Photo by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Joint Press Corps

The main facilities of the Gyeongbuk Sangju Smart Farm Innovation Valley include ▲Youth Startup Incubation Center ▲Rental Smart Farms ▲Demonstration Complex ▲Big Data Center.

The Youth Startup Incubation Center selects 52 unemployed youths aged 18 to 39 each year and trains them as smart farm specialists over 20 months. It is a practical program where participants grow and sell crops themselves, allowing them to generate sales while receiving education. This year marks the 5th cohort, and interest has grown to the point where the competition rate reached 2.7 to 1. Particularly, the Gyeongbuk Sangju Smart Farm has gained favorable responses due to its unique feature of providing residential facilities and living infrastructure, unlike other regions. Recently, among the 5th cohort, three sisters in their 20s and 30s were simultaneously accepted and moved into the Youth Rural Settlement together.

Lee Geon-hee, head of the Sangju Smart Valley Operations Division, explained, "There are only one or two graduates from agricultural schools each year, and most participants are completely new to farming. For crops like cucumbers and melons, which can be cultivated 3 to 4 times a year, the more education they receive, the better their farming becomes, leading to increased sales."

The crops produced by the trainees are sold at wholesale markets or the Garak Market in Seoul. Additionally, arrangements are made to supply nearby school meal programs or some contract farming quantities. Lee said, "The crops grown in the smart farm are of premium quality, so there is no concern about sales channels."

Notably, among the 3rd cohort trainees, ten young farmers in their 20s and 30s who cultivated cherry tomatoes recorded total sales of 420 million KRW in just eight months. Three of them, after completing the 20-month training, rented a 1,500-hectare smart farm and are farming. They aim to achieve total sales of 1.2 billion KRW over three years, which translates to about 130 million KRW in annual income per person. Two other young farmers who rented smart farms after completing the training are growing strawberries together, with expected sales of 250 million KRW this year.

'Big Data Center' in Sangju Smart Farm Innovation Valley, Gyeongbuk (Photo by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Joint Press Corps)

The reason these novice farmers, despite their lack of farming experience, could achieve billion-KRW revenues is thanks to the smart farm equipped with an optimal growth environment based on data. What differentiates smart farms most from conventional farms is the presence of a 'Big Data Center.' All data controlled by sensors, including weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, and solar radiation, as well as soil information inside the greenhouse, heating systems, and irrigation control, are collected on a cloud-based platform.

Data is essentially the core essence of smart agriculture. The longer and more data accumulated, the more advanced 'optimal growth environments' can be discovered. The Netherlands, considered the global leader in smart agriculture, has been accumulating agricultural data for as long as 60 years. Lee said, "Data is essential for the spread of smart farms in Korea, and it is no exaggeration to say that data determines the success or failure of smart agriculture. Our goal is to create a standardized single dataset of the optimal growth environment covering the entire process from planting to harvest, share it via the internet, and make it accessible to everyone."

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