Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs launches early-warning notification service through 'Nongeopegi' app

Covers 44 crop types and 15 categories of weather-related hazards

Registered farm households can access service with identity verification only

A diagram showing the agricultural weather disaster early-warning notification service provided through the Nongeopegi mobile app by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]
A diagram showing the agricultural weather disaster early-warning notification service provided through the Nongeopegi mobile app by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. [Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs]

Farmers can now check weather disaster risks for their own fields each morning on their smartphones. The new service automatically delivers risk information and response guidelines tailored to a farm's location and crops, helping growers prepare for extreme weather events such as heavy snow, cold snaps and heat waves.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Thursday it has begun operating an agricultural weather disaster early-warning notification service through the Nongeopegi mobile app. Previously, farmers had to visit the Nongeopegi website each time they wanted to check relevant information; the app now sends automatic alerts every morning.

The service covers 44 crop categories, including fruit trees, vegetables, staple grains and specialty crops. Based on the farmland and crops registered under each agricultural management entity, it forecasts and delivers risk information for 15 types of weather hazards — among them cold damage, low-temperature damage, sunscald, heat damage, wind damage, flood damage and drought.

On ordinary days, the app provides the day's weather and a three-day forecast. When a weather disaster is expected, it sends a hazard alert along with crop-specific response guidelines, giving farmers advance notice so they can take preventive action.

The service draws on agricultural weather disaster forecast data produced by the Rural Development Administration. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has worked with the Rural Development Administration since February last year to link Nongeopegi — the ministry's integrated agricultural information system — with the agricultural weather disaster early-warning system. The ministry has since expanded the range of crops and information covered and added the mobile notification feature.

Farm households registered as agricultural management entities can use the service with identity verification alone, without creating a separate account. The Nongeopegi app is available for download on Google Play or the Apple App Store.

"With heavy snow and other weather disasters expected as winter approaches, we hope this service will help farmers quickly check weather hazard information every morning through the Nongeopegi mobile app and prepare responses suited to their farms and crops," said Hong In-gi, the ministry's policy planning officer. "We plan to continue expanding the range of information available on Nongeopegi to support agricultural activities."


adastra@heraldcorp.com