'Smart Farm Korea 2026' Successfully Held in Changwon... Large Showcase of Latest Agricultural AI Equipment

[Korea Agricultural Technology Newspaper = Reporter Baek Cheol-hyun] The 'Smart Farm Korea' expo, presenting a blueprint for the future of agriculture, was successfully held at the Changwon Convention Center (CECO). Numerous domestic AgTech companies participated in this exhibition, showcasing a wide range of advanced agricultural equipment and materials including autonomous driving kits, harvesting robots, and intelligent environmental control systems. In particular, amid the global crises of climate change and rural aging, a professional seminar was held to explore the direction for advancing 'Korean-style smart farms (K-Smart Farms)' and strategies for entering major overseas markets such as China, drawing strong attention from visitors and industry officials.

At the seminar, Sohn Jeong-ik, head of the Smart Farm R&D Group, diagnosed that global agricultural technology is evolving beyond conventional ICT convergence into the stage of the fifth industrial revolution, where humans and AI collaborate. He also analyzed that the global smart agriculture market is expected to grow from $36 billion in 2026 to $67 billion in 2032, while the domestic market is also projected to grow at an average annual rate of about 15.5% to reach $1.02 billion by 2030.

Currently, about KRW 480 billion has been invested in smart farm innovation valleys established in four locations—Sangju, Gimje, Miryang, and Goheung—to fully launch the production and distribution of AI-based standardized big data through data centers. 

In addition, the Smart Farm R&D Group is also actively producing research results using AI. An AI model by Metafarmers that automates tomato fruit thinning and topping work has been applied in places such as the Sangju Innovation Valley, showing an accuracy of 87% to 92% in recognizing topping tasks, while robots that monitor cucurbit growth conditions and harvest autonomously through IOCrops are also being demonstrated. In the livestock sector, Mtreesen Co., Ltd. commercialized an intelligent feeding system by using 3D scanners and AI models (including CNNs) to monitor and predict pigs' body shape and traits (prediction accuracy 85%). In addition, through Vadit Co., Ltd.'s real-time livestock biometric measurement technology and automatic alert system, micro-movements of livestock were analyzed, reducing the average mortality rate from 13.2% to below 1% and shortening the non-pregnancy period from 119.8 days to 84.9 days, proving its effectiveness.

Director Sohn said, "Recently, we have been working to integrate and load individually scattered AI models and big data onto the 'Korean-style Smart Farm Portal Platform,'" adding, "Once this platform opens soon, it will be applied to eight types of K-Smart Farm models and provide practical integrated solutions," presenting his vision for the future.

Next, Li Jin, CEO of Beijing Chuangnong Economic Consulting, gave a presentation on the topic of 'Strategies for Entering the Chinese Smart Agriculture Market,' offering a cool-headed analysis of the rapidly changing Chinese market and related strategies.

According to Li Jin, China's smart agriculture policy is strongly driven by the 'Central No. 1 Document,' a national policy agenda announced at the beginning of each year, and as of 2026, the localization of core technologies such as agricultural sensors has emerged as the most urgent task. At present, China's smart farm market is developing mainly through guidance from central and local governments and large-scale investment by major companies such as IT platform firms, characterized by large facility scale and highly advanced processing equipment. On the other hand, the actual smartization of ordinary rural areas is still only at the level of introducing one or two robots, leaving enormous potential for future development.

He advised, “Because the market structures of the two countries are different, Korea should leverage its own strengths rather than engage in direct competition,” adding, "In response to demand in China's large-scale-oriented market, Korea should differentiate itself with a comprehensive 'Korean-style smart farm' model that combines practical small- and medium-scale models with production and operation management systems."

In addition, because the technical level of ordinary farms in China is not high, continuous technical support and after-sales service (A/S) after equipment sales determine the success or failure of market expansion. Regarding successful entry into China, he repeatedly emphasized the importance of full support from multiple ministries and the operation of local testbeds, saying, "Smart agriculture is also closely related to data and communications hygiene regulations, so it is difficult for a single company to enter the market on its own."