Let’s find out about smart farms that can provide safe food.

As we encounter much problems with radiation pollution, micro dust and other environmental pollution issues, there has been an increasing interest in safe food. Parents with children would be even more sensitive with this problem. And now, we have smart farms, which will provide us with safe food on our tables. Smart Farm refers to an intelligent agriculture system that makes use of technologies such as IoT, big data and AI in the production, processing and distribution stages of agricultural, forestry and animal products. As it involves growing agricultural goods without sunlight and soil thanks to the latest technologies, there have been farms opening in cities, not farming areas. Let’s find out more about smart farm, which is becoming agriculture’s future food industry.

Smart Farm Which Will Be the Solution to Future Food Shortage

Smart farm is an efficient technology that can maximize food resources.

Users can check and manage the light, temperature, humidity, CO2, culture medium, etc. of their smart farm facility on their computer or smartphone, unaffected by time or space. Remote control is possible, and as it realizes optimum growing environment, it is resolving realistic issues like decreased productivity and stagnated farm income caused by chronic shortage of manpower in the farm town. It can also enhance the quality of agricultural goods. You can monitor the environment of your agricultural product development and analyze the best environment for a different crop with big data to produce quality product, and use drones to sow, etc., to efficiently control your working hours. Smart farm is attracting attention as a means to resolve future food shortage since it minimizes the input resources to increase food production while increasing harvest.

Adjust the Growth and Development Environment with Big Data and Sow with a Drone.

Smart farm business is active in Netherland, the U.S., Hong Kong, China, etc.

Smart farm business is also aggressively sought after internationally. Priva, a Dutch smart farm solution company, developed and exports a greenhouse environment control system while GROWx operates a vertical farm that makes use of green electricity through the establishment of a high-tech closed system, which is a climate control technology. In Salinas, U.S., Silicon Valley technology was implemented to establish a smart farm by using unmanned agriculture robots and drones. They use sensors to monitor the growth and development environment, water and spray pesticides automatically. Aliyun under the Alibaba, China, attached QR codes on their apple farm tress and introduced a technology that allows real time monitoring of water and fertilizer input. This technology saves them about 20 million yuan (approximately 3.4 billion KRW).

Smart farm is also popular in Hong Kong as they lack arable land due to a limited territory. A shared office company in Hong Kong set up a shared farm. Remote monitoring, water culturing, IoT and other things are used to operate the farm. Hong Kong Polytechnic University has introduced the smart indoor growing platform; they developed an indoor agriculture technology fit for cities for stable securing of food resources. It controls light cycle and temperature and flexibly adjusts the plants’ growth environment.

You Can Grow Crops in Cities, Not Farm Villages.

A smart farm facility ‘metro farm’ is installed in the Seoul metro no. 7 line Sangdo Station.

There is a Korean smart farm case, too. Last year, Seoul city and Seoul Metro installed a smart farm called ‘Metro Farm’ inside a subway station. The robot tray takes care of all process from sow to harvest in this metro farm located in the number 7 line Sangdo Station. The Auto Farm next to it has a management program where you can input the crop information to have the robot grow and harvest the vegetable tray by moving it to different stages. There’s even an indoor vertical farm in a completely closed space with vertical shelves for crops. Vertical Farm is a new agriculture technology reviewed to have overcome the limits of outdoor farming in production quantity, energy consumption and quality.

Indoor tunnel farms and home vegetable cultivators have been introduced as well.

In Okcheon, Chungbuk, an indoor farm is realized inside a tunnel. A discarded tunnel was used to install a vertical farm. It grows vegetables without any pesticide or weed killers. The salad vegetables grown here are distributed to environment friendly stores and cafes. Companies are also paying attention to indoor farms. Kyowon Group has released a vegetable cultivator called ‘Wells Farm’ while LG Electronics also introduced a plant cultivator recently that can automate most processes of vegetable growth at home.

Wrap Vegetables Safely Grown in the Apartment Complex

Hyundai Engineering & Construction has introduced an apartment complex smart farm, ‘H Clean Farm.’

From now on, you will see more of the indoor gardens in apartment complexes that are unaffected by outside environment pollution. Hyundai Engineering & Construction developed ‘H Clean Farm,’ a wrap vegetable growth space within its apartment complex. Through its closed growth system that artificially controls environmental elements required for plant growth, it can safely harvest crops unaffected by the outside harmful environment. It can grow up to 50~60 types of leafy vegetables like kale and romaine lettuce. The cooperative facility operator selected by Hyundai Engineering & Construction is in charge of expert facility management which includes app remote monitoring, thermal control, humidity optimization, etc. Ultra-high-density automation growth technology was designed and implemented to maximize the quantity of leafy greens per unit area so that many residents can benefit from the farm.

The vertical farm inside the H Clean Farm blocks out micro dust and produces healthy, safe wrap greens.

Aside from the growth room which is completely shut out from the outside world thanks to fortified glass and LED lights, there are an experience education room for children’s field trips and training, a thermal and humidity room that helps with indoor temperature and humidity, and a preparation room where you can taste your harvest right straight from the farm. The vertical farm inside the H Clean Farm purifies air through its own purification filter when micro dust enters the space from outside. You are assured of safe food untouched by micro dust. Residents are able to taste the fresh vegetable without the hassle of complicated distribution process. The H Clean Farm in the complex will be utilized as a space for all residents. Consulting support is being reviewed to help the resident association to organize and operate complex kindergarten harvest experience, healthy salad making class, etc.

Smart farm technology is expected to evolve with the development of ICT technology. When this technology becomes popularized, we will be able to enjoy quality produces untouched by micro dust at reasonable prices at all times. We will see more food we can safely enjoy. This is why we have to take interest and pay attention to the smart farm technology, which will continue to evolve with time.

Photography. Seung-bin Bae