Hanbit, a Korean military contingent stationed in South Sudan plans to establish an agricultural technology center this year to teach farming techniques and help address food insecurity in the country.
According to the announcement made last Friday by the unit’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), this follows successfully harvested rice in South Sudan in January using Korean rice planting techniques.
Since 2014, the unit has operated a farm to grow corn and other crops to combat food shortages in Bor, where it is headquartered. However, heavy downpours in 2022 flooded the farm, making it unsuitable for crop cultivation, reported The Korea Times.
With support from Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology, the unit decided to start growing rice in October 2022 using Korean farming methods, which suit the water-retentive soil of South Sudan, according to the JCS.
In January, the unit successfully harvested about 200 kilograms of rice from a 400-square-meter field within the university’s grounds.
Buoyed by this success, the unit plans to expand its rice farming to a 10,800-square-meter field and establish an agricultural technology center to teach farming techniques to the university’s students and local residents.
Korea first deployed the Hanbit unit in 2013 to help maintain peace and assist in recovery efforts in the East African country, which has been affected by civil war.
The unit’s latest rotation of approximately 270 troops departed Korea in phases last month for an eight-month mission.
