Pocheon City Promotes Demonstration Project for 'Application of Stable Production Technology in Response to Abnormal Climate'

Pocheon City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Young-hyun) announced on the 20th that it is actively promoting a demonstration project applying "early planting and stable production technology using Illite nonwoven fabric tunnels" to respond to changes in the agricultural environment and support stable crop production.

Pocheon City Hall exterior. Provided by Pocheon City

This project is part of the "Agricultural Counseling Center Regional Specialization Revitalization Project" and aims to improve crop growth and productivity by applying tunnel cultivation technology to open-field and facility-based farms.

Accordingly, the city conducted preliminary training for participating farmers in the demonstration project on the 18th. Tunnel cultivation (covering with a film) is a cultivation method that protects crops from adverse weather conditions such as strong winds, frost, and low temperatures, promoting growth. It is widely used in advanced agricultural countries such as Europe and Japan.

It has been proven to increase yield and improve quality, and in facility cultivation, it allows for earlier planting and early shipment. Additionally, the nonwoven fabric cover blocks pest intrusion, reducing pesticide use and pest control costs.

The Pocheon Agricultural Technology Center plans to install Illite nonwoven fabric and tunnel frames at seven open-field and facility-based chili pepper farms and analyze growth differences compared to conventional cultivation methods.

Through this, they intend to systematically establish chili pepper tunnel cultivation techniques suitable for the Pocheon region, including soil management methods and planting times. They also plan to expand the demonstration project to apply tunnel cultivation technology to various crops such as facility tomatoes and open-field potatoes, broadening the range of applicable crops.

The head of the Changsu-myeon Agricultural Counseling Center, who conducted the training, said, "The nonwoven fabric tunnel cultivation technology is a practical method that prevents crop damage caused by abnormal climate and enables stable production. We will continue to research and disseminate this technology so that farmers can share and develop it."

Meanwhile, the "Agricultural Counseling Center Regional Specialization Revitalization Project" is a project by the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services that supports demonstration research and technology dissemination to solve regional agricultural problems centered on agricultural counseling centers and discovers region-specific specialized items.

Pocheon City has been promoting the project through agricultural counseling centers in each eup, myeon, and dong since 2023, receiving high interest and positive responses from local farmers.