Showcase of cooperative spirit in Korean-Dutch smart farming seminar
Yonam College, located in Cheonan City, Gyeonggi Province, is a private agricultural university operated by LG group. This college has a long-standing cooperation with Dutch organizations, such as Wageningen University & Research and several technology companies. The college provided interested students and industry representatives with a great opportunity to interact during a two-day seminar(13-14 November 2024) on Korean-Dutch cooperation in Smart Farming.
Background
Smart-farming is the keyword in many conversations on agriculture in South Korea. Government officials, as well as farmers and technology companies are looking at technologically advancing the South Korean agricultural sector. In this regard there is a strong focus on integrating smart technologies in the horticultural sector. These developments are not random. South Korea is globally known as a high-tech country. The agricultural sector is looking to catch up with other industries, thereby addressing self-sufficiency of high-quality food products, labor shortages, efficient use of scarce resources (energy, water) and export orientation. There is a role to play for Dutch stakeholders in the development of smart horticulture in South Korea.
Smart people are crucial for smart-farming
President of Yonam College Geun-Yeol Yook and Dutch ambassador Peter van der Vliet opened the two-day seminar, by addressing a crowd of smart farming students. Both of them emphasized that it is crucial to educate young talent in the field of agriculture and horticulture, as it is not easy these days to employ well-educated people in farming. It was therefore promising to see young people that are committed to work in smart-farming. Several students expressed that they developed a strong interest in smart-farming because of the modern technologies.
On the second day the so-called Dutch diamond came together in a wonderful way. Education, research and top-notch smart horticulture technologies were highlighted by HAS University of Applied Science, Wageningen University & Research, Koppert, Rijk Zwaan and Priva. The different organizations shared knowledge about innovative solutions for the global food challenges. Moreover, everyone acknowledged that it is crucial to work together. A manifestation of the Dutch-Korean cooperation was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between HAS Green Academy and Yonam college, aimed at strengthening knowledge and innovation in the agricultural sector with the joint mission to educate talent that contributes to future-proof food systems. The signing was done by President of Yonam University Geun-Yeol Yook and director agriculture and business Hans van Zuijdam of HAS Green Academy.
What's next?
Some of the take-aways from this event are that both South Korea and the Netherlands are committed to work together in high-tech horticulture on different levels: Government, research, education and private sector. Greenhouse collaborative projects are being developed, while at the same time education in the field of smart-farming is picking up (supported by Dutch organizations) and there is a strong interest in research cooperation, for example in the field of plant phenotyping and high-tech greenhouse technology.