○ Smart livestock disease control education supporting 12 languages introduced to overcome language barriers for foreign workers
○ Easy smartphone access anytime, anywhere, greatly improving delivery of disease control guidelines
○ Field feedback from pilot operations to be applied along with full-scale rollout to livestock farms in Gyeonggi Province
Starting September 1, Gyeonggi Province will provide “Farmdemic II,” a multilingual, game-based livestock disease control training program, free of charge to 583 livestock farms in Gyeonggi that employ foreign workers, with the aim of strengthening the workers’ disease control capabilities.
Foreign workers have recently accounted for a steadily growing share of the livestock workforce, but language barriers and limited training conditions have made it difficult to accurately communicate disease control guidelines. To address these issues, Gyeonggi introduced the Farmdemic II smart disease control education system.
Farmdemic II is an experiential learning program that supports 12 languages, including Nepali, Vietnamese, and Thai, as well as 3D simulation features. Using the smartphone app, foreign workers can enter a virtual farm and repeatedly practice essential disease control procedures in a game-like setting, including controlling access to farms, disinfecting facilities and vehicles, administering vaccinations, and reporting animals suspected of carrying infectious diseases. As a key feature, it allows learners to immediately see the results when they choose actions corresponding to each situation, effectively increasing their understanding of disease control guidelines and engagement with the training.
Administrators can use the integrated management system to monitor each individual’s training progress. The system also supports tailored management based on each learner’s level and analysis of training outcomes, enabling farms to manage their disease control training systematically.
To increase use of the program in the field, Gyeonggi Province conducted three rounds of practical training and pilot operations for about 70 people, including disease control officials and foreign workers.
Lee Eun-gyeong, Director of the Animal Quarantine Division, stated, “Although the number of foreign workers is increasing, language differences and existing training methods have made it difficult to accurately communicate disease control guidelines.” She added, “Farmdemic II is a program that allows workers to directly experience, learn, and review disease control procedures in a language familiar to them. We expect it to provide practical help in improving farms’ disease control standards and preventing livestock infectious diseases.”