Students from the Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Agricultural Startup Specialization Project Group (Haengbok Startup PLAN) won an Excellence Award on the 13th at the Agricultural Startup Club Best Practices Competition held at the Sejong Agricultural, Food and Rural Affairs Education and Culture Information Service by presenting a lifestyle-type startup model that enables easy plant cultivation in urban areas.

The competition was organized to share best practices among agricultural startup-specialized universities nationwide and to promote the dissemination of creative startup ideas among young farmers. At JBNU, the horticulture-focused agricultural startup club 'LIEF' participated as the representative.

The club LIEF, under the theme 'Life+Leaf', proposed product and service models that lower the entry barrier for plant beginners and can be easily cultivated in urban environments. The students carried out the entire process themselves — market research, product planning and development, social media promotion, and after-sales support — demonstrating practical skills comparable to actual startup operations.

This demonstrated that they are acquiring comprehensive competencies required of young farmers — including planning ability, a sense for management, and communication skills — beyond simple learning. The competition was also regarded as evidence that the Project Group's practice-centered educational system and programs for refining startup ideas have produced tangible results.

Hwang In-ho, Director of the JBNU Agricultural Startup Specialization Project Group, said, 'It was a meaningful stage for students to verify their potential based on theory and practice,' and added, 'We will continue to provide various education and support to cultivate young farmers with creativity and practical capability.' Lee Jun-gu, Deputy Director, also said, 'Club-based entrepreneurship education offers experiences that go beyond completing projects; it allows students to design the future of agriculture themselves,' and added, 'I hope this presentation will help promote the Project Group's educational excellence.'

Meanwhile, the JBNU Agricultural Startup Specialization Project Group is operated with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Agricultural, Food and Rural Affairs Education and Culture Information Service. It has established an education model that strengthens students' startup capabilities through practice-centered education, startup mentoring, and product-specific expert consulting.