Sunchon National University Selected as Korea's First 'Smart Agriculture Professional Training Institution'

Designated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Selected as No.1 in the Facility Horticulture Field

Will Foster the Nation's Top 'Smart Agriculture Talent'

Suncheon National University (President Lee Byung-woon) announced that it has been selected as a ‘Smart Agriculture Professional Training Institution’ (facility horticulture sector) for the first time by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and will collaborate with Jeonnam Province and related organizations to cultivate new smart agriculture professionals.

In line with the enactment of the ‘Act on the Promotion and Support of Smart Agriculture,’ which includes development plans, development zones, professional personnel, and manager qualification systems, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs called for applications for one professional training institution each in the ▲facility horticulture ▲livestock sectors, and Suncheon National University was finally selected as the training institution in the facility horticulture sector.

[Image courtesy of Suncheon National University]

Based on the designation as a training institution, the national university will operate ‘general, advanced, and smart agriculture manager qualification courses’ from August to December this year for incumbents, farmers, consultants, and students.

Suncheon National University, which was finally selected as a Glocal University last year, plans to organize a standard curriculum responding to the government’s smart agriculture promotion roadmap in connection with its specialized field, ‘Green Smart Farm,’ and proceed with education.

To cultivate professional personnel, the university will apply a ‘customized standard education curriculum’ developed in collaboration with faculty members from three departments on campus (Department of Convergence Biosystems Mechanical Engineering, Department of Horticulture, Department of Agricultural Economics), the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), youth farmers from Goheung Smart Farm Innovation Valley, and leading smart agriculture farms.

Additionally, the university will utilize its ‘nationally designated smart agriculture practice site,’ the advanced greenhouse, as a lecture and practice site, and open five on-campus dormitories to provide residential and convenience conditions. Furthermore, all necessary expenses required for course attendance will be supported free of charge to minimize the economic burden on trainees, demonstrating the university’s commitment to cultivating smart agriculture professionals.

Song Kyung-hwan, Director of Industry-Academic Cooperation at Suncheon National University, stated, “Based on cooperation with local governments and specialized institutions such as Jeollanam-do and Goheung Smart Farm Valley, and linkage with Meister University, we will advance as a training institution that cultivates the best facility horticulture smart agriculture management personnel and a mecca of the 6th industry.”

Professor Lee Myung-hoon of the Department of Convergence Biosystems Mechanical Engineering (Deputy Director of Industry-Academic Cooperation), the person responsible for project implementation, said, “By cultivating new agricultural professionals who can proactively respond to changes in smart agriculture, we will create value for the regional industry through discovering new paradigms and resolving the shortage of professional personnel.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr