RDA's 2027 budget rises 6.5% to W1.21tr, with more investment in AI farming and field safety

The Rural Development Administration has set its 2027 budget proposal at 1.21 trillion won ($883 million), a 6.5 percent increase from this year. Pure research and development spending will expand 12.4 percent, and the agency will launch new initiatives applying artificial intelligence to open-field farming — including a physical AI autonomous farming system and an AI crop-consultation service. Investment in protecting farmers from heat illness and improving on-site safety will also rise.

The RDA announced Tuesday that it had drawn up a 2027 budget of 1.21 trillion won, up 74 billion won from this year's 1.14 trillion won. Pure R&D spending will grow 70.1 billion won, or 12.4 percent, from 566.1 billion won this year to 636.2 billion won next year.

The agency will direct 194.6 billion won toward resolving on-the-ground challenges, including farmer safety and the mechanization of upland-field farming. The budget for preventing heat illness among farmers will rise from 1 billion won this year to 1.6 billion won next year, while funding for building a farm-work safety and accident-prevention support system will more than double, from 2.3 billion won to 4.8 billion won.

Pest response will also be strengthened. To counter newly introduced quarantine pests such as the tomato leafminer moth and other emerging threats, the RDA will launch two new programs: a 3.3 billion won integrated agricultural disaster information support service and a 500 million won private-sector-partnership regulatory pest monitoring system.

Investment in upland-field mechanization and smart farms will expand to address labor shortages in rural areas. The agency will commit 5 billion won to developing and demonstrating small- and medium-scale smart farm models tailored to local conditions. Funding to distribute pilot mechanization models for small- and medium-scale upland farming will increase from 1.8 billion won to 4.3 billion won.

The RDA will put 236.6 billion won into nurturing future industries such as AI- and data-driven agriculture. It has allocated 3.6 billion won for a new project to develop core physical AI technologies for a Korean-style unmanned autonomous open-field crop production system — integrating decision-making, field operations and control management. Another 3.6 billion won will go toward building "AI Isaki" and "AI Saessaki," generative AI-based farming consultation services.

Regional balanced growth will receive 218.7 billion won. The budget for upgrading research infrastructure for region-specific crops will rise from 5.7 billion won this year to 15.2 billion won next year, while funding for technology development in the same area will expand from 10.2 billion won to 12.1 billion won. The agency will put 9.6 billion won into operating a new national care farming center and has set aside 6 billion won for developing high-income food and energy convergence technology based on agrivoltaic solar systems.

Food self-sufficiency expansion will receive 116.2 billion won. The RDA has allocated 5.3 billion won for technology development to boost domestic wheat production and consumption, and 3.5 billion won for a pilot project to establish self-sufficient soybean convergence complexes. The budget for an innovation belt to restructure paddy farming will rise from 900 million won this year to 5.4 billion won next year.

Stabilizing the production and supply of agricultural and livestock products will receive 172.3 billion won. The agency will commit 500 million won to a new text-alert service that delivers weather disaster information — including cold damage to fruit trees — directly to farm households, and will invest 2.3 billion won in developing technology to digitally standardize quality data for harvested produce.

"The answer to agriculture's great transformation lies in AI, and its results must be proven in the field," RDA Commissioner Lee Seung-don said. "We will swiftly resolve pressing on-the-ground problems such as farmer safety and upland-field mechanization, and we will integrate cutting-edge technologies — including physical AI and agricultural satellites — into farming to deliver tangible gains in productivity and income for farmers."

The RDA's 2027 budget proposal will be submitted to the National Assembly on Thursday and is expected to be finalized in December after legislative review.