Rural Development Administrator Lee Seungdon: "AI Agriculture Will Boost 'Farm Income' by 20%"

Rural Development Administration Announces "Agricultural Science and Technology AI Convergence Strategy"
Transforming "Experience-Based" Agriculture into an AI-Driven Intelligent Industry
AI to Provide Solutions from Farming Plans to On-Site Problem Solving

The Rural Development Administration is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to address the critical challenges facing Korean agriculture, including the climate crisis, an aging population, labor shortages, and the risk of rural depopulation. The agency plans to integrate AI into the traditionally experience-based decision-making structure-where farmers decide when and what crops to plant-and further enhance agricultural AI to enable pest and disease prediction, diagnosis, and solution provision. The goal is to increase farm household income by 20% and reduce agricultural work-related risks by 20% by 2030.

On November 19, the Rural Development Administration announced its "Agricultural Science and Technology Artificial Intelligence Convergence Strategy." Lee Seungdon, Administrator of the Rural Development Administration, stated, "At a time when AI-driven technological innovation signals a major transformation across the economy and society, we are confident that integrating advanced technologies into agricultural science and technology will drive innovation in the agricultural industry structure. This strategy focuses on transforming agriculture from a traditional experience-dependent industry into an intelligent, data- and AI-driven sector, with the aim of dramatically improving productivity."

Lee Seungdon, Administrator of the Rural Development Administration, is announcing the "Agricultural Science and Technology Artificial Intelligence Convergence Strategy" at the Government Complex Sejong on the 19th. Rural Development Administration

◆Rapid On-Site Problem Solving with AI= First, the Rural Development Administration will move beyond simply supplying technology to swiftly resolve on-site agricultural issues by providing customized AI solutions tailored to the needs of farmers and end-users. The currently available "AI Isaki" service will be expanded into an "All-Time Agricultural Technology Information Service," responsible for everything from annual farming plans to daily work decisions. A generative AI trained on farm income survey data will analyze management conditions and provide tailored solutions, supporting a 5% reduction in farm management costs. Starting with pilot operations this year, the service will expand to 1,000 farms by 2026, and eventually be integrated into AI Isaki so that any farm wishing to use it can do so.

Beginning next year, the agency will commercialize "Ara Greenhouse," a next-generation greenhouse management platform equipped with an optimal environment setting model to improve productivity in protected horticulture. In smart livestock facilities, the agency will expand the distribution of integrated solutions that include not only productivity but also environmental management, such as odor reduction, and will actively introduce outstanding private-sector technologies in this process.

AI-based systems to address disaster risks and supply-demand instability caused by climate change will also be significantly strengthened. The AI pest and disease diagnosis solution, accessible via smartphone, will be enhanced to enable rapid diagnosis of 82 crops and 744 types of pests and diseases by 2029 (up from the current 35 crops and 372 types), and will also predict pest migration routes to support timely pest control. The accuracy of the abnormal weather early warning system will be improved to minimize damage from weather-related disasters, and by 2027, disaster information currently provided through the Latest Agricultural Technology Informer App will be integrated into AI Isaki.

Additionally, the agency will develop models that use satellite information and AI prediction to forecast production volumes, cultivation areas, and optimal growing regions for major crops such as rice and cabbage, thereby supporting data-driven supply-demand stabilization policies.

Rural Development Administration building. Rural Development Administration

◆Making Agricultural Work Safer with AI= The Rural Development Administration will strengthen AI-powered safety prediction and response systems, integrating and analyzing data related to farmer safety to classify high-risk groups and developing and distributing safety technologies such as wearable exosuits (assistive devices worn on the body). In collaboration with the National Fire Agency, the agency will expand the automatic 119 emergency linkage system for agricultural machinery accidents nationwide by 2029, aiming to reduce the fatality rate from agricultural work accidents by 20%.

AI technology will also be utilized to address rural depopulation. By 2029, the agency will build a rural spatial database and develop AI models for spatial regeneration and design, offering solutions for rural revitalization by utilizing vacant houses in at-risk counties.

The agency is also working to realize unmanned agricultural operations using AI. The entire process from sowing to harvesting will be mechanized, and the agency will develop AI-based smart agricultural machinery and integrated control systems. Robots powered by physical AI will be developed to replace highly skilled agricultural work. The agency will actively collaborate with Jeonbuk National University and others to ensure that intelligent agricultural machinery is a core component of large-scale national projects, such as physical AI-based software platform initiatives.

◆Connecting Data, Infrastructure, and People... Building the Agricultural AI Ecosystem= The Rural Development Administration will significantly expand the scope of data collection on its "Agricultural Technology Data Platform" to include unstructured data such as photos and videos. By 2027, the agency plans to build 3 billion high-quality data entries and gradually open them to the private sector. An automated quality management system will be introduced to enhance data reliability, and data utilization will be increased by linking with platforms such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' "Smart Farm Korea."

Computing resources for AI learning and analysis will also be greatly expanded. The agency will secure more than 100 terabytes (TB) of cloud storage annually for integrated and shared internet-based information and communication resources, introduce a third supercomputer for agricultural bio big data learning and inference by 2028, and achieve 15 petaflops (PF) of computing power by 2030.

The agency will also focus on nurturing talent with both AI capabilities and agricultural expertise. Basic AI competency training will be mandatory for all employees, and specialized training by job function will be expanded. Recruitment methods will be diversified to attract experts in advanced fields such as AI, and exchanges with institutions such as KAIST, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), POSTECH, and Jeonbuk National University will be strengthened.

Administrator Lee stated, "In the AI era, not only is technology development itself important, but it is even more crucial to effectively utilize technology in the field to achieve efficient outcomes. Through the convergence of agricultural science and technology with AI, we will deliver tangible results that farmers and the public can experience and, through active collaboration with related ministries and the private sector, lead a major transformation in national agriculture."

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