Online Trends of Smart Farms Through Big Data, Expanding Interest Among Young Entrepreneurial Farmers and the General Public
[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Over the past three years, the amount of information related to smart farms online has steadily increased, with particular growth in interest among young entrepreneurial farmers and the general public.
On the 28th, the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced the results of an online big data analysis titled "Trends in the Volume of Information on Smart Farms and Smart Agriculture." The study analyzed online news, blogs, cafes, communities, and Twitter posts mentioning smart farms from 2018 to 2020.
First, last year, posts related to smart farms and ICT agriculture totaled 132,800, a 25% increase from 106,177 in 2018. This rise was attributed to consistent government support such as the establishment of Smart Farm Innovation Valleys and open calls for pilot projects in open-field smart agriculture, as well as growing interest among young entrepreneurial farmers.
Among types of smart farms, open-field smart farms focused on field farming and urban smart farm projects such as Metro Farms were the most frequently mentioned. Related search terms (hashtags) in 2018 were limited to policy support for farmers and agricultural information, but by 2020, the scope expanded to include Metro Farms and agricultural and rural experiences, indicating that interest in smart farms has broadened from general farmers to the wider public.
In 2018, there was high expectation for "balanced development and job creation" through smart farms, while in 2020, voices anticipating practical profits such as "harvest, improvement, and enhancement" increased.
Interest among young entrepreneurial farmers also surged. Posts containing "young entrepreneurial farmers" among smart farm-related information increased by more than 34%, from 6,081 in 2018 to 8,142 last year. This is explained by heightened expectations for job creation among the youth through Smart Farm Innovation Valleys, rental-type smart farm establishments, and successful smart farm cases.
Shin Myung-sik, president of the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, stated, "We will spare no effort to achieve innovative outcomes such as continuous expansion of smart farms and job creation in cooperation with the government and local governments."
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