Sangju Smart Farm Recruiting 8th Cohort of Trainees to Nurture Young Farmers

Sangju City Accelerates Efforts to Discover Future Agricultural Talent

Sangju City in North Gyeongsang Province has launched an initiative to nurture young talent for the future of agriculture through smart farms.

On April 24, Sangju City announced that it has begun recruiting trainees for the "2025 Smart Farm Youth Startup Incubation Center 8th Cohort" in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency.

Sangju City Hall.

This 8th cohort will select a total of 208 trainees from youth startup incubation centers at four Smart Farm Innovation Valleys nationwide, with 52 trainees to be selected at the Sangju center. The training program will run for a total of 20 months, from September 2025 to April 2027, and will be conducted as a long-term, practice-oriented course.

The Sangju Smart Farm Innovation Valley Youth Startup Incubation Center offers the nation's top-level smart farm training environment focused on four major crops: strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons. The curriculum consists of three stages: theory (2 months), training-based practice (6 months), and management-based practice (12 months). All training costs are fully covered by the national government.

Trainees will receive a monthly practice allowance of up to 700,000 won, and during the management-based practice stage, up to 3.6 million won in material costs will also be provided. Upon completion, various benefits will be offered, including preferential access to policy funds, additional points for future farmer selection, and eligibility to move into rental smart farms, all aimed at supporting stable agricultural startups.

Mayor Kang Youngseok stated, "Sangju City will take the lead in creating an innovative agricultural environment where young people can realize their dreams," adding, "We will focus all administrative efforts on advancing agricultural technology based on smart farms and strengthening the competitiveness of local agriculture."