(Danyang=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Hyeong-woo = On the 20th, North Chungcheong Province announced that it will invest 280 million won to promote the creation of smart orchards for field-grown apples in response to the era of climate crisis.
The project will provide 40 million won per farm (30 million won in subsidies and 10 million won in farm costs) to seven farms hoping to cultivate apples, equipping them with soil moisture sensors, integrated control systems for information and communication technology (ICT), meteorological observation equipment, and growth monitoring systems.
Essential infrastructure such as saplings, supports, and irrigation equipment necessary for creating new orchards will also be supported.
In the smart orchards, temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and weather information will be collected and analyzed in real time, automatically optimizing the timing of water and fertilizer input and growth management.
An official from the county said, "This will become a key model for transitioning to data-based precision apple farming" and "Along with this project, plans are in place to significantly increase productivity and quality by linking with multi-purpose sunshade nets and sapling support projects."