The opening ceremony for the Hokkaido University Smart Agriculture Education and Research Center will be held on August 31st.

In FY2020, our university was selected for the Smart Agriculture Education Promotion Entrustment Project by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. As a base school for smart agriculture education in Japan, we develop and implement educational programs aimed at social implementation of smart agriculture, and promote projects such as training for active farmers, production of online teaching materials, and smart agriculture training for educators. I am.

We have recently opened the Smart Agriculture Education and Research Center with the aim of further advancing smart agriculture education and research. Smart agriculture has many benefits, including resolving labor shortages, passing on farming techniques using data, and improving the quality and yield of agricultural products. Furthermore, research and development is accelerating worldwide as it can contribute to ensuring sustainability in terms of the environment and energy. Hokkaido University has been conducting research on smart agricultural technology using ICT and robot technology for over 30 years. The missions of the Smart Agriculture Education and Research Center include "student education," "open lab (research and development)," "demonstration field (technological demonstration)," and "demonstration exhibition (social awareness)." At this opening ceremony, we will explain the significance of establishing the center to contribute to local and global food issues.

We will also have key partners in accelerating open innovation through industry-academia collaboration taking the stage to talk about their latest activities. Furthermore, we plan to introduce the joint research undertaken by this center through demonstrations and poster exhibitions.

For more information, please click here. *Go to Hokkaido University’s website.