Poster for the 40th Agriculture and Food Industry Future Growth Forum [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]
Poster for the 40th Agriculture and Food Industry Future Growth Forum [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]

South Korea is moving to accelerate its shift to AI-based agriculture following the successful launch of the country's first agricultural satellite. The plan combines satellite data with AI to build a high-quality agricultural database and deploy it in smart farming and research and development to boost productivity and sustainability.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Minister Song Mi-ryung attended the 40th Agriculture and Food Industry Future Growth Forum at the JW Marriott Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss AI-driven agricultural innovation strategies and ways to strengthen cooperation among industry, academia and research institutions.

The forum was organized to mark the July 7 launch of Next-Generation Medium Satellite 4, South Korea's first satellite dedicated to agriculture and forestry. Participants discussed using AI as a key tool to address structural challenges — including climate change and rural labor shortages — and explored ways to develop the agricultural sector into a future high-tech industry by integrating it with robotics, mobility, energy and aerospace technologies.

Seong Nak-ho, executive vice president of Naver Cloud, delivered a keynote address presenting an "agricultural AI transformation (AX) roadmap" that combines AI platforms with agricultural data. Presentations followed on global AI transformation trends, smart farming commercialization cases and strategies for building an AI-based smart agriculture ecosystem.

A panel discussion covered how to apply AI technology in the field, regulatory reform challenges and the direction for building a sustainable smart farming ecosystem. About 200 people attended the forum, including representatives from government-funded research institutes, universities and private companies.

"The convergence of AI and agriculture is a key driver for solving structural problems such as labor shortages and climate change, and for raising agricultural productivity and sustainability," Song said. "Building on the launch of the agriculture and forestry satellite, we will actively pursue the development of a high-quality agricultural data ecosystem, investment in field-tailored AI research and development, the cultivation of interdisciplinary talent, and regulatory reform."


adastra@heraldcorp.com