Training Field Experts in Seongju Melon Cultivation

Enhancing Farmers' Technical Skills and Competitiveness

The Seongju-gun Agricultural Technology Center in North Gyeongsang Province is thoroughly implementing the "15th Session of Chambyeol Miso Farmer College Melon Course," which is designed to nurture professional farmers who will lead the agricultural sector and rural communities. The program is being conducted as a field-oriented curriculum, timed to align with the melon growth period.

This course runs from February 4 to November 5, spanning a total of 18 sessions. It focuses on core technologies for each stage of melon growth—including planting, fruit setting management, physiological disorder response, and harvest-time environmental management—with an emphasis on enhancing the participants’ ability to apply these techniques on-site in order to produce high-quality melons.

In particular, the training program goes beyond simple theoretical education and is conducted in a field-based manner directly linked to the actual cultivation schedule. By providing on-site training at advanced farms (Melon Masters and Master Growers), the program is structured to enable participants to apply melon cultivation theory directly to their own farming operations, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the education.

'The 15th Special Smile Farmers University Melon Course' is conducting on-site education tailored to the melon growth stage / Photo by Kim Ihwan

Additionally, one-on-one on-site consulting is being offered at the trainees' farms to directly diagnose problems that arise during the cultivation process and to suggest solutions, thereby improving both the trainees’ understanding of the content and their ability to put it into practice.

One trainee who received on-site consulting commented, “Parts of the cultivation process that always felt vaguely difficult became much clearer when an expert visited my farm and explained them directly. The practical advice I can apply immediately has been a tremendous help.”

An official from the Agricultural Technology Center stated, “By combining field-oriented education and consulting through the operation of the Farmer College Melon Course, trainees’ practical competencies are being strengthened. This is contributing to the overall advancement of technology in the Seongju melon industry and laying the foundation for sustainable development.”

Furthermore, in the second half of the year, participants are expected to visit advanced agricultural sites to directly learn about new technologies and exemplary cultivation cases, and to apply these innovations in their own fields, which is anticipated to further improve the technological level of local farms and enhance their competitiveness.

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