Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong Province) announced on April 1st that it has been finally selected for the 'K-Vertical Farm Globalization Project' R&D contest organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Rural Development Administration, securing 3.8 billion KRW in national funding.

This project is being promoted as a solution to global issues such as the threat to food security, reduction in arable land, and the deepening climate crisis.

The contest involved a consortium consisting of Chungcheongnam-do, Yesan-gun, the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Kongju National University, Chungnam National University, Chungbuk National University, and Kiturami Co., Ltd. The consortium will invest a total project cost of 4.36 billion KRW, including 3.8 billion KRW in national funding, over five years from this year until 2029 to pursue the 'Development of a Building Air Conditioning Technology-Based Zero-Energy Vertical Farm Model' project.

KIMM will lead the research on zero-energy, nutrient solution recirculation, and energy analysis model development, while the universities will be responsible for analyzing the economic feasibility and developing profit models for vertical farms.

Kiturami will actively cooperate in developing dedicated air conditioning equipment for vertical farms based on its unique technology in the air conditioning sector.

Chungcheongnam-do and Yesan-gun will support vertical farm policy research and plan to provide a vertical farm demonstration space (100-200㎡ scale) within the Smart Innovation Support Center (industrial complex management office), scheduled for completion in 2028 in the Naepo Agro-Bio Convergence Industrial Cluster.

Before the completion of the demonstration space, preliminary research will be conducted at the vertical farm facilities owned by KIMM and Kiturami.

The zero-energy vertical farm system will utilize solar power and fuel cells based on the building's air conditioning system to produce its own energy, aiming for an energy self-sufficiency rate of 40% or higher. It will also incorporate high-efficiency dedicated air conditioning equipment for vertical farms and a closed-loop nutrient solution recirculation system that minimizes nutrient discharge, thereby reducing energy and resource consumption.

Furthermore, an integrated vertical farm management system based on big data and artificial intelligence (AI) optimal control technology will be established to demonstrate the productivity of crops and energy consumption in stages. Through this, the developed technology will be disseminated and expanded, and policy proposals and business model development for vertical farms will be simultaneously promoted.

The province plans to develop a new model that solves the problems of existing vertical farms, such as high costs, high energy consumption, and water resource issues, thereby laying the foundation for the dissemination of advanced vertical farm models.

Ahn Ho, Head of the Industry and Economy Office of Chungcheongnam-do, stated, "This selection is a result of the province's vision and technological capabilities for sustainable agriculture being recognized. We will build a successful vertical farm model not only in Korea but also in the overseas market through organic cooperation between industry, government, academia, and research institutes."

Meanwhile, Chungcheongnam-do is creating the Naepo Agro-Bio Convergence Industrial Cluster in Sapgyo-eup, Yesan-gun (near Naepo Station), a leading model for Korea's agro-bio industry that integrates smart farms, research complexes, and industrial complexes. In addition, the province has been rapidly moving to establish itself as a hub for the agro-bio industry by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for fostering the digital agricultural mobility industry, signing an investment agreement (MOA) with the bio-conglomerate Celltrion, and attracting national funding projects for the Green Bio Venture Campus and the Medi-Food Support Center.

The province anticipates that this project will serve as an important stepping stone in leading the future of Korea's agro-bio industry by establishing a vertical farm demonstration space in the smart farm sector.

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