On December 12, the National Institute of Crop Science of the Rural Development Administration held the ‘2025 Reclaimed Land Farming Technology Conference’ at the Reclaimed Land Agriculture Research Center in Gimje, Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province, introducing the latest technologies and research achievements for large-scale farming on reclaimed land. About 70 people, including members of the Reclaimed Land Farming Council, the Reclaimed Land Agriculture Research Association, farmers, and researchers, attended the conference and toured the newly established research building and test site of the Reclaimed Land Agriculture Research Center.
The conference focused on introducing the operation cases of the Saemangeum Complex Grain Specialized Production Complex and large-scale smart farming technologies for reclaimed land, sharing application cases of water and nutrient management, and pest prediction and diagnosis technologies demonstrated on-site. Additionally, the ‘Reclaimed Land Farming Information Service,’ which integrates soil characteristics (salinity, drainage, nutrients) and crop and variety information, was introduced.
At the Saemangeum Complex Grain Specialized Production Complex, precision agriculture technologies such as drones, autonomous tractors, soil sensors, and satellite data are applied to cultivate basic crops with high import dependency, such as wheat, soybeans, and sweet potatoes, on more than 100 hectares per corporation. The event also featured technical materials and experience spaces showcasing crops suitable for reclaimed land, horticultural and forage crops, and smart farming technologies.
During the on-site meeting, issues such as salt damage, waterlogging, rising production costs, mechanization and labor problems, and difficulties in adopting smart agriculture were raised, and researchers and related institutions discussed directions for technology development and policy linkage. The Rural Development Administration plans to expand the cultivation of strategic crops such as wheat, soybeans, and forage crops on reclaimed land and spread various models utilizing reclaimed land, such as open-field smart cultivation and farming-type renewable energy.