The Rural Development Administration (RDA, Administrator Lee Seung-don), together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, held the awards ceremony for the 「11th Agriculture and Rural Public Data + AI Startup Competition」 at the Korea Racing Authority on August 13 and announced 18 winning entries. This year, 290 teams took part—a 56.8% increase from last year—underscoring the growing enthusiasm for the use of data and artificial intelligence (AI) in the agricultural field.
 [코리안투데이] 농촌진흥청 공공데이터 AI로 만든 농업 아이디어 한자리에 © 장형임 기자 |
The competition is held annually to discover ideas and services that use public data and artificial intelligence (AI) to solve problems in the agricultural field. Applications were accepted this year from April 1 to June 30, with 190 teams entering the idea-planning category and 100 teams the product and service development category, for a total of 290 participating teams. That represents a 56.8% increase over last year, when 185 teams applied, showing how quickly interest in the use of public data and AI in agriculture and rural areas is growing.
The entries were narrowed down to 18 winners—including three teams awarded the RDA Administrator’s Prize (Grand Prize)—through a document review by internal and external experts (July 9-10) and a presentation review (July 29-30). The winning entries were recognized for their practicality and their readiness to be applied directly in the field.
 [코리안투데이] 농촌진흥청 공공데이터 AI로 만든 농업 아이디어 한자리에 © 장형임 기자 |
In the product and service development category, the ‘HarvestMind’ team took an award. The team developed software that uses AI image analysis to accurately identify the location and ripeness of strawberries, helping harvesting robots pick the fruit automatically.
 [코리안투데이] 농촌진흥청 공공데이터 AI로 만든 농업 아이디어 한자리에 © 장형임 기자 |
Two teams were recognized in the idea-planning category. One team proposed a ‘pest and disease decision-support system’ that combines pest and disease diagnosis results with weather and pesticide information to recommend the most suitable control (pest prevention) method, while the other unveiled a ‘Shipping Playbook platform’ that forecasts crop prices in advance to help farmers decide when to ship their produce.
The competition once again confirmed that the public data released by the RDA is being put to practical use in the field. Half of all the winning entries—nine in total—were built on RDA public data covering farming technology, pests and diseases, pesticide safety, soil environment, and smart farms. The RDA currently makes some 400 sets of public data available through the Public Data Portal and the Agricultural Technology Data Platform.
 [코리안투데이] 농촌진흥청 공공데이터 AI로 만든 농업 아이디어 한자리에 © 장형임 기자 |
Winners receive prize money along with follow-up support. A total of 56 million won is awarded—11 million won from the RDA and 45 million won from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and others. This is accompanied by follow-up support such as the provision of tailored public data, specialized commercialization consulting, and the production of promotional materials. Four outstanding entries—two Grand Prizes and two top awards by category—also earn the privilege of advancing to the finals of the 「14th Government-wide Public Data and AI Startup Competition」 hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety in September.
Such support is intended to ensure that ideas do not stop at the presentation stage but lead to actual startups and commercialization, opening a channel that lowers the barrier to entry for young and small-scale entrepreneurs and farming households that lack the means to handle data. When data supports the judgments farmers face every day—such as pest and disease control or deciding when to ship—it can directly help reduce losses and protect income.
 [코리안투데이] 농촌진흥청 공공데이터 AI로 만든 농업 아이디어 한자리에 © 장형임 기자 |
Lee Sang-ho, Director of Planning and Coordination at the RDA, said, ‘The sharp rise in participation compared with last year shows just how high the interest in and demand for public data and the AI transition are in the agricultural field,’ adding, ‘We will do our utmost to create and open high-quality data so that the RDA’s public data leads to real startups and commercialization, raising farm incomes and improving quality of life.’
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