AI to fuel Korea's agricultural assistance for developing nations

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province — Korea will step up assistance for developing countries in the agricultural sector, leveraging a state-led initiative to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to farming technologies, data-driven advisory services and the development of climate-resilient crops, according to the head of the nation’s top agricultural research institute. Lee Seung-don, administrator of the Rural Development Administration (RDA) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said on Thursday the agency’s official development assistance (ODA) projects for countries with poor self-reliant infrastructures and labor shortages will continue to expand. Lee said the agency’s multilateral Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (FACI) will expand from three regional groups — Asia, Africa, and Central and South America — to five by 2028, adding the Caribbean and South Pacific. The expansion will bring the number of partner countries to around 100 across the five regions, with costs covered by the Korean government’s budget. Lee’s remarks come as the RDA is