Gangjin Rental Smart Farm: Young Farmers Harvest First Strawberries

The first strawberries have been harvested from the rental smart farm in Gangjin County, South Jeolla Province. To mark the occasion, young farmers who moved into the smart farm, which opened this year, gathered on site to communicate with county officials.

Young farmers from Gangjin and military officials holding the first harvested strawberries from the smart farm greenhouse. Provided by Gangjin County

According to Gangjin County on December 10, the county, together with the Jeonnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services, invested a total of 900 million won from 2024 to 2025 to support young farmers’ settlement.

Two smart farms equipped with ICT-based facilities-including two disaster-resistant smart greenhouses (each over 1,200 square meters), nutrient solution cultivation systems, heating and cooling devices, and integrated environmental control systems-have been completed. Two young farmers are currently leasing the facilities for three years at an annual rent of 210,000 won, cultivating strawberries.

The county continues to provide on-site guidance focused on seedling and cultivation techniques suited to the local climate to ensure high-quality production.

Choi Younga, Director of the Agricultural Technology Center, said, “We hope the smart farm will ease the initial burden for young farmers and serve as a stepping stone for stable startups.” The young farmers added, “The rental smart farm allows us to reduce trial and error, making this a valuable experience.”

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