Rural Development Administration Develops Customizable Strawberry Smart Farm Model: 83% Higher Yield, 3.5 Times Annual Net Profit

by Ju Sangdon

Published 10 Sep.2025 14:10(KST)

Among various smart farm technologies, a converged smart farm model has been developed that can increase strawberry yields and thereby boost annual net profits.

The Rural Development Administration announced on September 10 that it has developed a "single-span strawberry smart farm productivity improvement converged model," which brings together various smart farm technologies so that not only existing farmers but also young and start-up farmers can easily utilize them.

Crop growth monitoring device applied to smart farms.

An official from the Rural Development Administration explained, "Since 2021, the cost of building smart farms has risen significantly due to increases in raw material prices. The Rural Development Administration has been striving to develop and distribute smart farm technologies that can be used by both young and start-up farmers as well as existing farmers."

The newly developed converged model is a practical model designed to integrate some industrial technologies with smart farm component technologies developed by the Rural Development Administration, allowing for comprehensive application. Farmers can minimize installation costs by maximizing the use of existing facilities, and they can either select only the necessary smart farm technologies or apply them as a package. This model does not merely combine individual component technologies, but rather integrates key technologies such as environmental management, agricultural work automation, and energy optimization, creating synergy effects between the technologies.

To increase the income of strawberry farms, it is important to achieve year-round stable production, but it is especially effective to focus on increasing production during the winter, when prices are higher. Recently, more and more farms are seeking to concentrate production in the winter season.

The converged model includes technologies such as a cooling nursery system for strawberries during high-temperature periods and a partial cooling system, which help reduce summer heat damage that negatively affects overall growth. Additionally, artificial intelligence-based environmental management technology enables optimal control of temperature, carbon dioxide, and irrigation even in winter. The converged model incorporates nine key component technologies, aiming to achieve "intelligent environmental management for productivity improvement," "agricultural work automation for labor reduction," and "energy optimization for management cost savings" in strawberry greenhouses.

The Rural Development Administration has applied technologies that automatically control the cultivation environment or support farmers' decision-making, based on cultivation data from outstanding farms (with at least 10 years of experience and in the top 20% in production). As a result, even young and start-up farmers with limited farming experience can achieve cultivation techniques comparable to those of outstanding farms within two to three years.

Automation technologies for agricultural work have also been implemented to reduce labor requirements. Tasks such as pest control, monitoring, and diagnosis-which would otherwise take significant time if done manually-are handled by automated systems. This addresses rural labor shortages and aging populations, while also improving the precision of agricultural tasks. Cameras installed on unmanned pest control frames enable real-time monitoring and diagnosis of pests and diseases using artificial intelligence, allowing for immediate pest control when necessary. In short, an automated system connecting "monitoring → diagnosis → pest control" has been established. Thanks to this, farmers can reduce their labor burden and manage crops more easily and precisely.

Reducing heating and cooling costs-which account for a large portion of farm management expenses-is another key feature. The model bundles technologies that enable efficient energy use, reduce heating and cooling costs, and increase yields. According to the Rural Development Administration, applying this converged model can produce up to 22 kilograms of strawberries per 3.3 square meters, while reducing energy costs by 40% and labor by 15%.

To verify the economic benefits of this model, an economic analysis was conducted comparing a standard greenhouse without the model, a greenhouse with six general component technologies, and a full-option greenhouse with all nine technologies. The results showed that the general option greenhouse increased yield by 50% and annual net profit by about 2.5 times compared to the standard greenhouse, while the full-option greenhouse achieved an 83% increase in yield and a 3.5-fold increase in annual net profit.

The Rural Development Administration plans to expand the distribution of the converged model, focusing on young and start-up farmers operating small and medium-sized smart farms, after verifying its effectiveness through pilot farms. In addition, by linking with related support programs, the administration aims to help young and start-up farmers settle in quickly and ensure that any small or medium-sized farm can easily adopt the converged model.

Cho Yongbin, Director of the Agricultural Engineering Division at the Rural Development Administration, stated, "The model we have developed will significantly increase the productivity of strawberry greenhouses, enabling young and start-up farmers to expect stable and high incomes comparable to urban workers. We will continue to expand its distribution to support the settlement and income growth of young and start-up farmers, thereby contributing to the realization of sustainable agriculture."