On May 22, the Gyeonggi Province-Shandong Province Joint Symposium on Agricultural Science and Technology was held in Gyeonggi Province by the Gyeonggi Agricultural Research & Extension Services and the Shandong Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China.

The symposium was held to share the current status of and development directions for digital agriculture and agricultural applications in both regions. It featured two keynote presentations, six thematic presentations, two case presentations, and extensive discussions on digital agriculture, healing agriculture, insects, and other agricultural applications.

As the first keynote speaker, Gyeonggi Agricultural Research & Extension Services Director Dr. Sung Je-hoon introduced the current status of the Gyeonggi Digital Agriculture Task Force, including data analysis (statistics), digital breeding, smart farms, and artificial intelligence, and presented the vision of digital agriculture in Gyeonggi Province.

At the agricultural science and technology exchange meeting held that same day, it was decided to prioritize exchanges and joint research cooperation in the fields of cherries and strawberries, and mushrooms as well as medicinal agriculture.

Gyeonggi Province and Shandong Province have been engaged in agricultural science and technology exchanges since 2009, promoting technology and personnel exchanges in various fields such as rice and mushrooms. Of particular note, following an agreement ratified in 2014, the two provinces have held a joint symposium every three years since 2015, and this year’s was the fourth face-to-face event in the six years since the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, the Gyeonggi Agricultural Research & Extension Services has been steadily promoting agricultural science and technology exchanges since the first agreements with Shandong (1996), Jiangsu (2015), and Jilin (2016) provinces. It will lead a delegation to Liaoning Province in July to deepen exchanges with the Liaoning Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences and discuss the identification of medium- and long-term collaboration areas as well as the extension of researcher exchange periods.

“We will resume and further stimulate agricultural science and technology exchanges between the two regions that were curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including video connections, and use this as an opportunity to jointly prepare for a future of sustainable agriculture,” said Sung Je-hoon, Director of the Gyeonggi Agricultural Research & Extension Services.