Can ‘K-agricultural technology’ Solve Food Shortage?
A Rural Development Administration official is teaching national trainees related to the KOPIA project how to use agricultural machinery.
The Rural Development Administration is proving to the world the excellence of ‘K-agricultural technology’ by contributing to famine and food shortages action initiatives with underdeveloped and developing countries demonstrating excellent domestic agricultural technology.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) selected the Korea Program on International Agriculture as an “excellent case of innovation in the public sector that transcends borders.” The development assistance program dispatches agricultural technology experts (directors, experts, researchers, etc.) that help countries manage food scarcity and crisis by providing best practices, knowledge sharing, and access to excellent K-agricultural technology local partners can then use on their own.
The Rural Development Administration who oversees the program has experienced significant growth, with established offices in 22 countries on 3 continents, starting in 6 countries in 2009. The growth goal remains, “increasing agricultural productivity of developing partner countries through agricultural science and technology innovation”. By all accounts, the program is meeting this goal with 986 Korean agricultural experts dispatched in 2020. Additionally, Agricultural education was also conducted in the field for 125,900 overseas farmers.
In this selection process, the OECD noted the achievements of the KOPIA program including demonstrated expertise in seed self-sufficiency and the ability to ultimately meet the second goal of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by increasing food production through agricultural science and technology innovation. The program is praised as an ideal model that can be continuously expanded and distributed to other countries, meaning the opportunities are limitless.
The program was recognized in the 'Realization of Government Innovation Transcending Borders' report at the 2022 World Government Summit and shared with governments around the world to promote innovation in the public sector. And is expected to be used for The WGS is an international conference in which more than 4,000 people from 150 countries around the world, including high-level government ministers, civic groups and international organizations, attend each year. Encouraging future investment and opportunity.
KOPIA officials are explaining the onion being cultivated on a trial basis to trainees in Sri Lanka. Provided by Rural Development Administration.
Source: Park Jung-Min from Munhwa (April 11, 2022)
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