Fresh from Youth – Building Skills for Next-Gen Agriculture
Siam Kubota Corporation is launching an agricultural skills program with Chiang Mai University to teach students modern farming techniques through hands-on learning stations featuring machinery, digital tools, and real-world case studies.
Siam Kubota Corporation Limited is launching the "KUBOTA Freshy Agri Skill" program to inspire and develop agricultural expertise among students under the KUBOTA Next Gen Farmer initiative. The program combines hands-on learning with knowledge transfer in innovation, technology, and modern agricultural solutions through collaboration with the Faculty of Agriculture at Chiang Mai University.
Ratchakrit Songwanchiwin, Sustainability Development Manager at Siam Kubota Corporation Limited, stated that the company has been collaborating with educational institutions nationwide, and with Chiang Mai University since 2020 to develop agricultural education. This initiative marks another significant step in continuing integrated educational partnerships to create mutual benefits for both organizations. The focus is on paving the way toward next-generation farming under the "KUBOTA Next Gen Farmer" concept, establishing a strong learning ecosystem and fostering positive attitudes toward agriculture while developing new-generation or Smart Farmers capable of applying technology to increase production efficiency and competitiveness.
The KUBOTA Freshy Agri Skill program bridges classroom learning with real-world experience through five interactive learning stations:
Station 1: KUBOTA Agri Solutions for major crops, teaching methods to increase yield and reduce costs through comprehensive agricultural solutions, covering crop cultivation, cost management, and return on investment analysis using real farmer case studies.
Stations 2 & 3: Test Drive Innovation, where students experience modern agricultural machinery including tractors, smart spray drones, excavators, rice combines, and vegetable planters.
Station 4: Agricultural Applications for field management, teaching digital technology use for precision farming, including water management systems and the KAS Crop Calendar app covering soil preparation, planting, maintenance, harvesting, and post-harvest management.
Station 5: Workshop - Path to Smart Farming, featuring insights from experienced farmer Wallailak Kumkoon (Pat), owner of Wallai Farm, including real farm data analysis and scenario simulations to develop decision-making skills.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Darunee Naprom, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Chiang Mai University, noted that this collaboration reflects both organizations' commitment to developing young talent in agriculture to adapt to modern global changes. It provides students with valuable out-of-classroom learning through hands-on experience, strengthening their knowledge, skills, and readiness for future agricultural careers.
