Officials examine crop growth at the Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency's (KOAT) smart farm model undergoing testing in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, in this December 2025 photo. Courtesy of KOAT
The government on Wednesday unveiled a new agenda aimed at maximizing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to boost agricultural productivity and improve the quality of life for farmers across Korea.
The initiative, jointly announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Science and ICT, builds upon the government’s previous smart farm program, which had largely focused on productivity. The new road map broadens the scope to include agricultural distribution and improvement of farmers’ daily lives.
The scope of the plan's beneficiaries will also be expanded from a limited group of high-performing farms to farmers nationwide.
Under the slogan “AI for easier farming, more stable supply and more vibrant rural communities,” the initiative outlines 13 policy tasks under four key categories.
One of the central goals is to raise productivity across a broader range of farms. To achieve this, the government plans to develop and expand smart farm models that can replace labor-intensive tasks that currently require long hours of manual work. Shared smart farm machinery centers will also be introduced for the first time.
New technologies using AI-powered machines and drones for autonomous farming — dubbed “NEXT Farm” — will be jointly developed by the two ministries and the Rural Development Administration, a research agency under the agriculture ministry. Data centers dedicated to the agricultural sector are also expected to accelerate the plan’s artificial intelligence transformation (AX) across farms.
A smart farm testing tropical plants in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, developed by the Gyeongsangbuk-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services / Courtesy of North Gyeongsang Province
Another major focus of the initiative is applying AI to the nationwide distribution of agricultural products. A new type of logistics facility, the smart Agricultural Products Processing Center which uses AI to manage receiving, sorting and shipping processes, will be established at 300 locations by 2030. This year, the smart facilities will be introduced at three sites.
The government also plans to apply AI to livestock grading to improve accuracy and consumer trust. Two slaughterhouses processing pork will be designated this year to introduce AI-based grading systems, while the technology will be expanded to the country’s 52 beef processing facilities.
Source: Korea Times News
