[Top Products of the First Half of 2023] Customer Satisfaction - ‘FARMCONNECT CO.’/Smart Farm Solution/'AI Smart Honeybee Monitoring System (Connect Bee)'

‘FARMCONNECT CO.’ has developed the 'AI Smart Honeybee Monitoring System (Connect Bee),' leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology to track the movements of pot-carrying insects in real-time and analyze bee activities. This groundbreaking system has provided valuable insights into the disappearance of honeybees, shedding light on the mystery surrounding their vanishing population.

Every year, from early February to March, around 300 billion bees from across the United States migrate to California's almond farms, spanning millions of hectares. This massive movement of bees is essential for pollinating almond blossoms located thousands of kilometers away. The global market for pollinator insects, including honeybees, vital for crop cultivation, was estimated to be around 3.3 trillion Korean won (approximately 3 billion USD) as of 2020. In recent years, the market has experienced rapid growth due to factors such as climate change and environmental pollution, which have led to a significant decline in bee populations. The issue of 'honeybee disappearance' has also gained attention domestically. From October of last year until March, incidents of missing overwintering colonies occurred nationwide, and upon inspecting beehives to prepare for spring breeding after winter, the disappearance of honeybees was observed nationwide. The decline in significant honeybee colonies due to honeybee disappearance has had a substantial impact, not only on honey production this year but also on spring honeybee breeding.

It is estimated that out of a total of 2.47 million honeybee colonies raised last year, approximately 60%, or 1.48 million colonies, suffered losses. This has also affected the honeybee industry. The government has responded to this issue, aiming to foster and support the national beekeeping industry, aiming to increase its scale to around 1 trillion Korean won (approximately 900 million USD) by 2026.

In most greenhouse farms, honeybees are used to enable crop fruiting. For instance, in the case of tomatoes, if pollination does not occur within 10 days of flowering, the plants fail to produce fruits, resulting in a production loss of over 15%. However, bee activity varies in real-time according to environmental conditions, challenging management, and technology implementation. Developing and commercializing a system that can detect and analyze bees' small and fast movements and flight patterns in real-time has been difficult. ‘FARMCONNECT CO.’'s technology has successfully addressed these challenges.

‘FARMCONNECT CO.’'s 'Connect Bee' system analyzes the workload of bees in real-time, based on AI technology, by monitoring the bees entering and exiting the beehive. The system specifically detects and analyzes the amount of pollen attached to the bees' legs, distinguishes the colors of the pollen, and determines whether the bees' activities are functioning properly. ‘FARMCONNECT CO.’ has applied for domestic and international patents for this technology and has become the first to commercialize it. With this technology, farmers can increase pollination efficiency by observing changes in bee activity after introducing the beehives and replacing them at the appropriate time for optimal pollination work.

Mu-Hyun Kim, CEO of ‘FARMCONNECT CO.,’ stated, "Through the first contract this year, we will begin distributing the system to farms in the second half, to supply it to 800,000 facility farms nationwide by 2027." They also announced plans for international market expansion. The CEO, Kim, stated, "We are currently discussing technology transfer and collaboration with companies from Azerbaijan, Canada, Spain, Israel, and China, aiming to deploy this system worldwide." Emphasizing the anticipation for the export of K-agricultural technology, they expressed their hopes for international sales. They also announced plans for international market expansion. The CEO, Kim, stated, "We are currently discussing technology transfer and collaboration with companies from Azerbaijan, Canada, Spain, Israel, and China, aiming to deploy this system worldwide.”.

‘FARMCONNECT CO.’ provides an agricultural platform that supports farmers. Decision-making, in addition to its 'Connect Bee' system. While most facility farms are limited to monitoring simple temperature and humidity sensor values on their smartphones, the ‘FARMCONNECT CO.’ system collects domestic and international farm data and provides information on ventilation, irrigation, environment, nutrient distribution, pest, and disease control, and more, according to farmers' preferences. The system stands out by deriving immediate solutions from real-time data farmers provide, allowing prompt responses to issues. As a result, it has achieved not only a reduction in crop damage but also an increase in production yield by more than 30%.

Reporter: Kyung-Min Lee (kmlee@etnews.com)

Written & Released in June 28th 2023. 12:54pm (GMT+9)

Original Post Link (https://www.etnews.com/20230623000012?mc=em_050_00001)