Nutrition Ilwolsan 'Summer Strawberry' Grows! ... Mid-term Evaluation Meeting for Smart Farm Elevated Cultivation Pilot Project Held

Gyeongbuk Yeongyang-gun Agricultural Technology Center held a mid-term evaluation meeting for the ‘Summer Strawberry Smart Farm Elevated Cultivation Pilot Project’ on August 2 at the project site in Sinwon-ri, Subi-myeon.

Yeongyang-gun held a mid-term evaluation meeting for the summer strawberry smart farm high-rise cultivation pilot project.

During this evaluation meeting, on-site consulting and training were conducted by Researcher Lee Jong-nam from the Goryeong High-altitude Agriculture Research Institute to ensure successful summer strawberry cultivation. In addition to project stakeholders, farmers from the Subi area also attended, showing great interest in summer strawberry cultivation.

The Summer Strawberry Smart Farm Elevated Cultivation Pilot Project was selected as part of a regional specialization project by the Gyeongbuk Provincial Agricultural Technology Institute’s public contest. With a project budget of 100 million KRW (including self-funding), a smart environmental control system and elevated beds were installed. This is the first attempt at summer strawberry cultivation in Yeongyang.

Strawberries, which we commonly eat from winter to late spring, are originally low-temperature crops and could not be produced in the hot, long-day conditions of summer and autumn. However, since 2002, the Rural Development Administration has developed various domestic summer strawberry varieties (Gohah, Yeolhah, Janghah, Muhah, Mihah, Gosul) that are heat-resistant. In this pilot project, the Muhah, Mihah, and Gosul varieties were planted and cultivated.

Although summer strawberries are heat-resistant varieties, they need to be cultivated at relatively low temperatures ranging from 5 to 23°C. This project provided an opportunity to test the feasibility of cultivation in the cool, high-altitude Subi area of Yeongyang.

Demand for summer strawberries is rapidly increasing, mostly for dessert cafes and cake decorations in bakeries. Recently, due to the popularity of tanghulu and similar treats, supply has not been able to meet demand.

Lee Yoon-chil, Director of Yeongyang-gun Agricultural Technology Center, stated, “We will spare no technical support to ensure the success of this summer strawberry cultivation project and will strive to establish it as a new high-income crop that brings significant profits to farmers.”

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