Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (Dean Choi Nak-jin) partnered with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to run a specialized training program to strengthen agricultural life science research and seed industry capacity in Mozambique.

The program was organized as part of a KOICA-supported project titled 'Strengthening Agricultural Technology Transfer and Innovation Capacity to Enhance Agricultural Productivity and Food Security in Mozambique.'

As a result, from August 4, 17 department heads and senior researchers from the National Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique visited the JBNU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to participate in the specialized training program.

The seminar was led by Professor Mo Young-jun of the Department of Crop Agriculture and Life Science at JBNU, who presented on 'The History and Current Status of Rice Variety Development in Korea.' Professor Mo explained the development of crop breeding technologies that underpinned Korea's agricultural advancement and economic growth. He broadly reviewed major achievements and recent technological trends, from the Green Revolution driven by the development of Tongil rice to the improvement and diversification of rice quality and the advent of digital breeding.

In the ensuing discussion with Dr. Lee Jae-sung of IRRI, participants engaged in in-depth discussions on strategies to improve Mozambique's agricultural productivity and on research and education collaboration measures. Through laboratory visits, participants observed how artificial intelligence (AI) and genomic technologies are applied to crop breeding, and they directly studied cases of digital breeding research being conducted by the JBNU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Kim Tae-gon, Vice Dean of the JBNU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said, 'I hope this training will serve as a meaningful opportunity not only for knowledge transfer but also for mutual learning and exchange,' adding, 'We will continue to expand international cooperation to improve agricultural productivity and food security in developing countries and to strengthen our global research and education network.'