AX for Agriculture: Creating an AI Environment for All Farms, Covering Production, Distribution, Consumption, and Rural Living

Establishing an Agriculture-Specific Data Center and Launching an Agricultural Satellite in July
Building Three Online-Focused Logistics Chains
Improving Rural Transportation, Living Conditions, and Environment with AI

The government has decided to promote the transition to artificial intelligence (AI) not only in agricultural production, but also in consumption, distribution, and rural living. The government plans to establish a data center specialized in the agricultural sector and, to enable more precise supply-demand forecasting, to launch an agricultural satellite as early as July this year. Additionally, the government will provide various daily life-oriented AI services, such as improving rural transportation, living conditions, and the environment, through the application of AI technology.

On March 11, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced the "Agriculture and Rural Artificial Intelligence Great Transformation (AX) Strategy," which was jointly formulated with related ministries at the meeting of ministers in charge of science and technology.

Kim Jungwook, Director of the Agricultural Innovation Policy Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is announcing the 'Agriculture and Rural AI Grand Transformation (AX) Strategy.' Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Kim Jungwook, Director of the Agricultural Innovation Policy Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "This strategy focuses on creating a more competitive agri-industry ecosystem by integrating AI into agriculture and rural areas and improving the quality of life for rural residents." He explained, "Whereas previous smart agriculture policies primarily focused on production with advanced technologies, this new strategy is differentiated by significantly expanding the policy scope beyond production to distribution, consumption, and the daily lives of rural residents."

This strategy sets its vision as "Making farming easier with AI, stabilizing supply and demand, and making rural life more convenient." To realize this vision, it has established four main areas: ▲Innovation in agricultural productivity ▲Advancement of agri-food distribution structures ▲Improvement of rural residents' quality of life ▲Building the AX ecosystem foundation. The government plans to focus on 13 key tasks across these four areas.

◆Reforming the Agricultural Structure with AI= The government will expand support to ensure that all farms, regardless of their management scale or conditions, can benefit from AI. For open fields, which involve repetitive tasks and require significant labor, the government will provide AI solutions and the necessary infrastructure as packages, focusing on major production regions. In addition, the government plans to develop affordable smart farm models for small and medium-sized farms, enabling them to reduce their labor without the need for large-scale capital or complex facilities, and to create experiential spaces where farmers can try out these technologies.

Example of Management Consulting Using Agricultural AI Agents. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

The government will also promote the spread of easily accessible AI services, such as "AI Isaki," which aggregates agricultural technology information from the Rural Development Administration and can be used via voice commands. To reduce the burden on farmers of adopting expensive advanced agricultural machinery and AI farming solutions, the government will introduce "Smart Agricultural Equipment Sharing Centers" at city and county levels, and improve the policy funding support system. Director Kim stated, "Until now, smart farm policy funds have mainly supported facility installation. Moving forward, support will focus more on software, such as renting related facilities or operating data service businesses."

Through the National Agricultural AX Platform, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, in partnership with the private sector, will establish AI farms equipped with cutting-edge technology. In cooperation with the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Rural Development Administration, it will secure technological capabilities via unmanned automation projects (Next Farm) where intelligent agricultural machinery and drones are used for open-field farming. The government aims to develop agricultural foundation models specialized for major crops like rice beans and wheat, and to expand these technologies to various crops by specifying technologies for each stage, from tillage and leveling to sowing and harvesting. In addition, a data center specialized for the agricultural sector will be built to fully support the activation of AX by both the public and private sectors.

The government will also establish an AI-based disaster risk map by multilayered analysis of weather and disaster data, and develop a crisis response system that uses AI to predict and proactively manage available agricultural groundwater. AI quarantine drones will be used to monitor migratory bird population densities, and, starting with the pilot introduction of unmanned disinfection facilities at key locations in June this year, the government will gradually reduce onsite disease risks.

◆Advancing Agri-Food Distribution from Production Areas to Consumers= The government will establish 300 smart Agricultural Product Processing Centers (APCs), which serve as regional distribution hubs, by 2030 (cumulative). AI will be applied to all key processes such as receiving, sorting, and shipping. In addition, three pilot logistics chains specialized in online transactions will be set up this year. In the livestock sector, AI-based grading systems will be introduced to enhance accuracy and reliability. This year, two slaughterhouses for pigs will be selected for AI carcass grading, and for cattle, AI equipment will be continuously expanded to a cumulative total of 52 locations nationwide.

To enhance price stability, AI-based supply-demand forecasting models for key products such as rice, horticultural crops, and livestock products will be further developed. Specifically, an agricultural satellite will be launched as early as July this year to collect a variety of observation data, such as the cultivation and shipping areas for major crops, enabling more precise supply-demand forecasting. Furthermore, to help consumers compare prices and identify the best places to buy agricultural products, the government will launch a pilot version of the "Smart Consumption Information App" in the second half of this year, contributing to the stabilization of grocery prices.

Chungbuk Base APC View. The Asia Business Daily DB

◆Daily Life-Oriented AI Services for Rural Residents= The government plans to expand the number of "Smart Rural Living Zones," which provide AI services that rural residents can experience in their daily lives, to more than 100 by 2030. Considering the large elderly single-person households in rural areas, various AI services will be offered to improve transportation, living conditions, and the rural environment.

By providing information on various local resources in rural areas, such as idle facilities and traditional houses, the government will revitalize local startups, expand the use of AI in rural tourism, and attract more tourists by linking with rural tourism weeks to promote the attractiveness of the countryside.

Focusing on rural social overhead capital (SOC), the government will increase opportunities for AI education and hands-on experiences. It will also appoint "AI teachers" as care managers in rural service communities to actively support the daily use of AI by residents, thereby enhancing the AI capabilities of rural residents and farmers.

The government will also establish a data value assessment system so that data, the core resource of AX, can be properly valued and traded. This will enable private companies and startups to freely utilize high-quality data and create innovative business models, thereby firmly establishing a self-sustaining private ecosystem. Furthermore, dedicated AI organizations and public-private consultative bodies will be operated, and inter-ministerial consultations will be conducted to quickly reflect on-site feedback in policy and establish solid foundations, including institutional improvements necessary for AX.

Minister Song Mireyong of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, "AI is now not a choice but a core foundation that determines the survival and future competitiveness of agriculture and rural areas. We will make 2026 the starting point for AX to overcome the crises of climate change and aging, and bring about positive changes that everyone can experience across all areas of agriculture and rural communities."

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