여기는 중동, 한국서 온 스마트팜이 우릴 먹여 살리고 있다<br /><br />To address the global challenges of food security, countries have turned to alternative farming methods.<br />And one of the those methods is ‘indoor vertical farming’.<br />As today marks the nation’s Farmers Day, we look into how the country’s latest agricultural technology is helping grow crops in the Middle East.<br />Min Suk-hyen reports.<br />This may look like a regular shipping container, but in fact it’s an indoor vertical farm exported to the United Arab Emirates by a South Korean company.<br />The 12-meter long container is filled with vertical racks of crops, including Romaine lettuce.<br />Named ‘Planty Cube’, the farm replaces conventional farming methods with digital technology.<br />Natural sunlight is replaced with artificial lighting and water levels, air temperatures, and humidity can be adjusted with just a few clicks.<br />"It also operates under a hydroponic system, where nutrients are mixed into water so that crops can grow without soil."<br />Farms can also be monitored remotely from South Korea, even from a smartphone, and conditions can be adjusted to optimize plant growth.<br />This way of farming can produce quality food all year round, without being affected by the weather, natural disasters or disease.<br />There has been high demand for South Korean indoor vertical farms in the Middle East.<br />Two indoor vertical farms were first set up in July 2019 as part of a pilot project.<br />Now a total of 10 are stationed in Abu Dhabi with more planned to be shipped next year.<br />"We are actually planning to export our farm in the next first quarter about 50 cultivation modules… Also, we're getting a lot of requests from other GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) areas, such as Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait. "<br />South Korea launched a set of programs last year to export its smart farm technologies.<br />It aims to become a key player in the industry, along with the U.S. and the Netherlands.<br />Min Suk-hyen, Arirang News.<br />
