The Department of Smart Farm (Department Chair, Professor Jang Tae-il) will pursue improvements in domestic wheat productivity through the development and demonstration of digital agriculture models.

The Department of Smart Farm, centered at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) (Professor Kim Tae-gon, Department of Smart Farm; Professor Park Cheol-su, Department of Crop Agriculture and Life Science; Professor Jang Tae-il, Department of Rural Construction Engineering), formed a consortium with the Korea National University of Agriculture and Fisheries and a blockchain company and was selected for the Rural Development Administration's 2022 new project in the field of digital agriculture (Project title: Development of Open-Field Agriculture Digitalization Technology), namely the research project 'Development and Demonstration of a Digital Agriculture Model to Improve Wheat Productivity.'

The project will receive KRW 2.3 billion in funding over three years through 2024 and aims to develop and demonstrate digital agriculture technologies to improve domestic wheat productivity. Through this research, the team will conduct studies on soil moisture and nutrient management to improve domestic wheat productivity and develop an open-field digital agriculture model; develop precision seeding and variable-rate fertilization systems based on soil nutrient status to increase wheat yields; and develop a blockchain IoT DID-based open-field agriculture platform and wireless network system.

Currently, the domestic wheat self-sufficiency rate remains at around 1%. In response, the country has established the Basic Plan for Wheat Industry Promotion, setting targets of 5% self-sufficiency by 2025 and 10% by 2030. As a follow-up measure, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced the 2022 Implementation Plan for Wheat Industry Promotion on January 26.

This project is highly significant as a proposal and demonstration study for improving wheat productivity and quality in light of these external conditions.

Professor Jang Tae-il, Chair of the Department of Smart Farm at JBNU, stated, "This selected project will establish a multidisciplinary, convergent research framework—encompassing crop science (wheat cultivation), agricultural engineering (irrigation and drainage and agricultural machinery), and digital engineering (data science and blockchain)—and present a digital agriculture model that is expected to lay the foundation for digital transformation in the agricultural sector."

Meanwhile, the JBNU Department of Smart Farm, as the nation's first newly established advanced department related to smart farms, has been admitting new students since 2021 and is cultivating creative talent to lead the country's future agriculture.