– A solution to the Middle East food crisis, Korean smart farm
A Korean-style smart farm (vertical farm) is being built in the Kuwait desert off the coast of the Gulf of the Middle East. This is good news amidst the global supply chain crisis and food security issues. The introduction of smart farms will enable them to grow a variety of fresh and diverse leafy vegetables that locals can eat every day, even in the scorching desert sands.
In the Middle East, the 'Indoor Smart Farm' project, which distributes and sells edible crops and special crops cultivated with domestic smart farming technology, and exports them to neighboring countries is being promoted. This is the fruit of Korea's agricultural technology and thorough localization strategy, and it is also a signal to announce the full-fledged export of Korean smart farms.
Kuwait is a country that uses only 0.6% (about 1 ha) of its land as arable land, and a significant portion of its agricultural products depend on imports. Most of the vegetables and fruits consumed in the country are imported from Europe, which means they are not fresh and are transported by air, which is expensive. If locally produced with smart farm technology, fresh agricultural products can be sold at a lower price than European products.
Kuwait is a natural resource-rich country that boasts the world's 7th largest oil reserves (1015 billion barrels) and is Korea's third largest oil supplier. In the first quarter of this year, crude oil imports from Kuwait amounted to US$3 billion, an increase of 1% compared to the same period last year. The oil imported since the establishment of diplomatic ties with Kuwait in 29.3 served as the foundation for Korea's economic growth. The two countries are strategic partners. Kuwait is supplying crude oil and petroleum products, which are the driving force of export industries, and Korea is supplying climate change response and food security solutions.
The Kuwaiti government has established a national development strategy 'Vision 2035' to prepare for the 'post-oil era' and promote agricultural modernization. Data-based Korean agricultural innovation technology is being introduced to improve agricultural productivity and innovate supply and distribution networks. There is a high possibility that Korean smart farm technology will be applied to the Kuwait Abdullah new city construction project (the first Korean smart city export project).
The Kuwait smart farm market has great growth potential in the agricultural and livestock sector, such as indoor vertical plant farms and greenhouse-type smart farms. Local government agencies and private companies are also promoting the establishment of an R&D center using agricultural data in cooperation with Korea.
In order for domestic companies to gain an edge in fierce competition with advanced agricultural countries such as the Netherlands, Turkey, and France, which have entered the local market, it is necessary to secure leading standard technology and provide solutions suitable for responding to local food crises. With customized smart farm technology and package export, system operators and crop cultivation technicians need to be actively dispatched to the local area to operate. If they conduct education for local people together, Korean agricultural technology can be localized and Korea's competitiveness can be increased.
Interest in smart farm technology is showing high among countries in the Middle East that are trying to secure food security, centering on Kuwait. Korea cannot simply export the smart farm itself. It should aim to provide a total solution including research institutes, transportation and logistics services that can achieve joint technology development and localization of technology. If domestic information technology (IT) and solutions are combined with the local agricultural environment, the Middle East will become a land of opportunity for Korean smart farms to advance. It is expected that the Korean smart farm market will expand to Middle East and African countries and many innovative business models will emerge.