Gwangmyeong City Opens First Urban Strawberry Smart Farm…Establishing Foundation for Sustainable Urban Agriculture

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Yu Je-sung] Gwangmyeong City has established a foundation for sustainable urban agriculture where agricultural production, job creation, and tourism function in a positive cycle.

The city held an opening ceremony for the 'Gwangmyeong Cave Strawberry Smart Farm' on the 22nd at the former Upcycle Art Center (142 Gahak-ro 85beon-gil) near Gwangmyeong Cave.

The 'Gwangmyeong Cave Strawberry Smart Farm' spans a total of 206 square meters and features a 145 square-meter closed, vertical smart cultivation facility inside, along with experience and exhibition spaces, and an educational facility. Smart agriculture technology including LED lighting, automation systems, and temperature and humidity sensors is applied to produce strawberries in optimal conditions regardless of climate.

Strawberries produced at the smart farm will be used in citizen-targeted experience programs such as harvest experiences, smart farm kit manufacturing, and strawberry dessert making.

Smart farm operation personnel for cultivation and program management will be hired from within the region, contributing to expansion of the urban agriculture foundation and local job creation.

Additionally, by linking with nearby tourist attractions such as Gwangmyeong Cave, the development of new tourism programs is expected to stimulate regional economic activation.

In this way, the city has established a competitive agricultural production system in response to climate crisis, while also creating a new urban agriculture model that promotes citizen participation through education and experience as well as a positive cycle for the regional economy.

The 'Gwangmyeong Cave Strawberry Smart Farm' will undergo pilot operation this year to verify production volume and system stability before beginning formal operations from March next year.

Meanwhile, the city has also created an 'Apartment Factory Smart Farm' for producing strawberry seedlings inside an apartment-style factory in Haan-dong (228 Haan-ro). Strawberry seedlings produced there will be supplied to the Gwangmyeong Cave smart farm and distributed and sold to plant factories and local farms, supporting a stable agricultural production system.

Mayor Park Seung-won stated, "This smart farm is significant in that it proactively responds to changes in the future agricultural environment and establishes a sustainable urban agriculture foundation that operates and grows together with the region," and added, "We will actively support urban agriculture to become established as a new growth driver for the region."