Chonnam National University Builds Cooperative Network on 10 Years of Agricultural Startup Experience

Joint Alumni Startup Founder Network Workshop Held

Young farmer entrepreneurs trained by Chonnam National University through a decade of hands-on education have established a cooperative network to foster mutual growth beyond the university's walls.

Chonnam National University's SMART Agricultural Startup Specialization Project Group held a joint "Graduate Startup Founder Network Workshop" with Jeonbuk National University's Agricultural Startup Specialization Project Group at Sangha Farm in Gochang, Jeonbuk. Provided by Chonnam National University.

Chonnam National University's SMART Specialized Project Group for Agricultural Entrepreneurship held a joint "Alumni Startup Founder Network Workshop" with Jeonbuk National University's Specialized Project Group for Agricultural Entrepreneurship at Sangha Farm in Gochang, Jeonbuk Province, the university said on October 19.

Hosted by the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and organized by Chonnam National University's project group, the event was attended by about 20 people, including graduate farmer entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs from both universities.

Since its launch in 2016, Chonnam National University's project group has nurtured young farmers by providing hands-on, tailored training in smart-farm cultivation techniques, agricultural management and startup consulting. In particular, it has operated the five-stage "SMART-GroW" program, which runs from establishing a farming base through post-program mentoring, to help graduates establish themselves sustainably in the field.

With this support, successful startup models have taken root one after another. They include Seo Inho, CEO of Pureutpureut Farm and a member of the first cohort, who started without an established base and expanded his business into dessert distribution, and Kim Seungchan, CEO of Sandeulkkot Garden and a member of the third cohort, who broke into a niche flower market after receiving mentoring from senior graduates.

At the workshop, the young farmer entrepreneurs toured sites in the rural convergence industry and focused on discussing practical challenges, including securing farmland, facility costs and developing sales channels. They also explored specific ways to work together, such as jointly purchasing farm supplies to reduce operating costs, establishing a shared sales network for agricultural products and exchanging cultivation techniques through mutual farm visits.

The project group plans to make exchange events a regular twice-yearly fixture starting next year, reflecting the views of young farmers, and to expand a sustainable farming ecosystem through initiatives such as mentoring between senior and junior graduates and jointly developing sales channels.

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