| dc.description.abstract | Background of Research
Agriculture’s convergence with information and communications technology (ICT) is a key strategy for changing the agricultural sector, whose growth is stagnating, into the future growth industry that creates new growth engines and added value. Some developed countries in agriculture including the Netherlands have pursued efficiency such as enhancing productivity and reducing costs through ICT convergence in all processes of agrifood production, distribution, and consumption, for example, commercializing the facility greenhouse environment optimization system.
The policy of technology development and diffusion for ICT convergence in agriculture and rural villages started in the Ministry of Information and Communication in 2004, and has been implemented under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture (now MAFRA) from 2010. In the process, however, there have been many problems such as farms’ lack of capacity and enterprises’ small scale. Moreover, although various studies were conducted, they were insufficient in identifying the current state of ICT convergence in the agricultural sector and problems and discussing comprehensive development strategies, lacking role divisions among agents including farmers, firms, and the government. Therefore, this research aims to examine the present agriculture-ICT convergence’s limits and problems by reviewing its domestic and foreign cases and related policies and surveying farmers’ awareness, and to present its strategies and policy tasks.
Method of Research
This study, centered on conceptual understanding of creative agriculture and ICT convergence in the agricultural sector, proposed strategies and challenges for improving the convergence’s performance by analyzing its current status and advanced nations’ major cases and surveying farmers’ awareness of it. In the research, targets of ICT convergence include agriculture’s whole process, but the survey on farmers’ awareness focused on the field of production.
We researched the literature and analyzed materials to review agriculture ICT convergence-related studies and policy trends at home and abroad, the convergence’s present situation, changes, concepts, and policy tasks. We examined related domestic and foreign cases through the literature review, field works, and seminars. A survey on awareness of ICT and the present state of its adoption in the agriculture sector was conducted to agricultural holdings in September 2014 for the analysis of the current status and problems of ICT convergence in agriculture. We also interviewed policymakers and companies that participated in national policy projects. Last, we presented policy tasks by collecting various opinions through meetings and workshops of agriculture-ICT convergence-related people.
Research Results and Implications
The study proposed strategies and challenges of ICT convergence in the agricultural sector in a comprehensive aspect encompassing all agents in the convergence system by the review of the convergence’s types and present situation at home and abroad, and the survey on farmers’ awareness, participating firms, and related policies.
The first task is to shift a paradigm and establish comprehensive and systematic action plans by stages. Most of all, the paradigm shift is important that farming-related technology development and relevant companies’ advancement enable the agriculture sector to be in stable development. The national plan of expanding ICT convergence for farms should be understood in a comprehensive view that it creates a market related to the ICT industry beyond the view that it is limited to the agriculture sector. Also, for the successful implementation of the plan it is required to carry out existing master plans, modeling projects, and diffusion programs systematically; and establish systematic strategies for stages of technology development, test, and dissemination.
The second challenge is to create an ecosystem for the ICT convergence industry in agriculture. This means establishing the supply base of the agricultural sector’s ICT material and equipment for the stable development of ICT companies. For this goal, first, the organization of agents related to ICT convergence is necessary to improve agricultural holdings’ and ICT firms’ small-scale management structure. Through organization, the holdings can overcome problems such as their small size of agricultural management, limited capital, lack of ability to adopt new technology, and the firms can strengthen their competitiveness and provide their customers with proper post management services. Second, the input industry should be nurtured. In Korea, the agricultural industry’s scale is decreasing, so it is needed to standardize information and technology targeting the overseas market. In addition, concrete mid- and long-term development plans are necessary for domestic ICT companies through a review of successful ICT firms’ development process such as PRIVA of the Netherlands.
The third task is to improve the policy support system and establish rational governance. The strategies for this challenge are as follows. First, national policy projects should focus on software. Software-centered policy projects create the foundation of farmers’ introducing ICT convergence technology through a new type of informatization education, successful convergence models development, and model farms operation in several regions to improve their receiving capability of the technology. Second, it is needed to develop diverse policy tasks for diffusing agrifood-ICT convergence and set priorities for efficient implementation. Third, it is necessary to clarify the convergence diffusion policy targets by farming types, facility types, and scales, and apply differentiated policies. Fourth, a control tower should be established for agriculture-ICT convergence policy projects in the Agriculture Ministry, and the connection with policies needs to be strengthened. Last, cooperative governance is necessary among the government, related research institutes, companies, and agricultural holdings for technology convergence dissemination.
The fourth challenge is to increase the utilization of technology. First, it is needed to expand education opportunities for farmers such as ICT application trainings and establish success models in order to enhance farms’ receptivity of technology. Second, problems occurring in the technology use process should be solved. For this, it is necessary to standardize technology and strengthen ICT companies’ post management service. Third, it is needed to be aware of the importance of data produced through ICT convergence and develop an expert pool for data analysis and information integration standardization.
Researchers: Kim Hong-sang, Lee Myoung-ki, Yoon Sungeun
Research period: 2014. 1. ~ 2014. 10.
E-mail address: hskim@krei.re.kr | - |
