Agriculture & Technology

[Anchor Lead]

Farming has long been known as a profession that requires a lot of physical labor for relatively little income. This is changing, as agricultural practices that involve information technology are now past the experimental stage and being commercialized to boost crop safety and productivity and lower the reliance on labor.

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These tomatoes are grown in a massive greenhouse measuring 52-hundred square meters. Thanks to even quality control, the tomatoes have even made their way to Japan. The computer coordinates all tasks such as ventilation and temperature and humidity adjustment, which has enabled superb quality maintenance.

[Soundbite] Jeon Yeong-wuk(Smart Technology Farmer) : "Even when I'm outside, I use my phone to adjust settings any time. This is a great advantage."

Pig farms are known to be more challenging. Farmers can't afford to be leave the site even for a brief while. However, even here, around-the-clock automated remote management is possible. Using computers and smart phones, the pigs are fed and farming conditions are adjusted. Thanks to this system, a single farmer can raise 2,000 pigs while productivity has increased by 20-30 percent.

[Soundbite] Moon Seok-joo(Smart Technology Livestock Farmer) : "Since the animal has been pregnant for a few days, the system automatically adjusts the amount of food to that condition."

This is just the beginning of an agricultural revolution utilizing information, communications and control technologies. Livestock health is checked through each animal's feces and new technologies will be introduced to allow fish and vegetables to be grown simultaneously. Heat that is lost and wasted will be recycled as well.

[Soundbite] Prof. Kim Hyeon-tae(Smart Farm Research Center, Gyeongsang Nat'l University) : "This system operated together with a dehumidifier can save energy by 10-20%."

Smart farming techniques are replacing the arduous labor of farmers and are transforming Korea's farming communities.