[Special Founding Issue] Jeollanam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services Researcher Min Hyun-kyung

[Korean Agricultural Technology Newspaper = Reporter Baek Cheol-hyun] “If advanced Korean agricultural machinery or glass greenhouses are transferred to Kenya as they are, there is a high risk they will become useless due to problems with parts procurement or maintenance costs. Real ODA is not about the glamour of technology, but about transplanting a ‘Korean-style support system’ in which research, extension, and dissemination form a triangular team.”

Recently, as Kenya, the economic hub of East Africa, faces a food security crisis due to severe climate change and declining agricultural productivity, the Jeollanam-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services and KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) have stepped in as rescuers. The ‘Kenya Smart Agriculture Capacity Building Training,’ jointly conducted by the two institutions, is focusing on localization through a three-year phased roadmap, moving away from one-off aid. We met Min Hyun-kyung, a researcher at the Jeonnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services who is the brain behind this project and serves as a bridge between the two countries with a field-centered perspective, to examine the current state of ODA and future tasks.
 

What is the specific purpose behind promoting this ‘Kenya agricultural public officials training’?
“This training is part of KOICA’s flagship human resource development program, the ‘Global Training Program (CIAT·Capacity Improvement and Advancement for Tomorrow).’ As implied in the name CIAT, it was designed in the hope that our smart agriculture technology and policy experience would serve as a ‘seed’ for the development of Kenyan agriculture. The core goal is for public officials in Kenya’s agricultural sector to establish smart agriculture policies suited to their national conditions and enhance their practical field capabilities, ultimately strengthening Kenya’s food security.”
 

We are curious about the background behind Jeonnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services selecting Kenya as the target country. 
“KOICA’s Global Training Program is offered based on demand surveys from partner countries. Kenya is a country where agriculture accounts for an absolute share of the national economy and people’s livelihoods, but recently, due to climate change, improving productivity and securing food security have emerged as top priorities. Based on the smart agriculture field demonstration data accumulated over the years and our experience in disseminating agricultural technology, Jeonnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services participated in the call for proposals. As a result, we were selected as the institution best suited to Kenya’s agricultural needs and came to promote this ‘Smart Agriculture Capacity Building for Kenya’s Food Security’ program.”
 

What program or strength of Korean agriculture drew the most attention from the trainees? 
“They showed strong interest in the advanced ICT equipment and automation technologies of smart farms themselves, but what Kenyan public officials actually paid the most attention to was the Korean-style agricultural support system that connects ‘research-extension-dissemination.’ No matter how excellent a technology is, it is difficult to achieve results if it is not distributed to farms in the field. They seemed deeply impressed by the system in which the Korean government, local governments, and agricultural research and extension institutions form a triangular team to systematically support farmer education and field demonstrations. Questions and discussions about how this could be transplanted into their own national conditions never ceased.”
 

What is the future training roadmap and the specific step-by-step implementation plan? 
“To ensure it does not end as one-time education, we established a three-year phased training roadmap that proceeds from ‘basic understanding ➝ strengthening practical capabilities ➝ field expansion.’ In the first year, we focused on increasing understanding of smart agriculture policies and basic technologies, diagnosing the current state of Kenyan agriculture, and establishing an Action Plan. In the second year, we plan to operate a course that strengthens practical capabilities such as how to build and operate smart agriculture systems and how to utilize agricultural data. In the final third year, we intend to focus on preparing field application measures, fostering extension personnel, and building a performance dissemination system so that the training outcomes can spread across Kenya. The goal is to help Kenyan agricultural stakeholders proactively expand the scope of smart agriculture according to their own national conditions.”
 

There are also high expectations for economic exchanges such as Kenyan market entry by domestic AgTech companies or exports of agricultural machinery. What is the direction on this? 
“Many expect this training to open the door to agricultural machinery exports and technology exchanges between the two countries. Jeonnam Agricultural Research and Extension Services also plans to broaden the scope of exchanges based on the international agricultural cooperation (ODA) experience it has accumulated. However, when approaching this from a field-centered perspective, what must be most guarded against is transplanting technology while insisting only on domestic standards. If advanced Korean agricultural machinery or glass greenhouse smart farms are introduced into Kenya as they are, there is a high risk they will become useless because of maintenance and repair difficulties such as parts procurement or the economic burden on local farmers. Therefore, rather than seeking immediate direct export results, we must closely examine Kenya’s local soil, climate, power infrastructure, and farmers’ accessibility. This training is not a place to make Kenya accept Korean technology, but a process of laying a sustainable foundation on which related institutions and private companies in both countries can cooperate. We will continue locally tailored communication so that Jeonnam’s field-centered agricultural technology experience can provide practical help to Kenya’s food security.”