Gokseong-gun, Take a Break from Farming When Sick... Active Labor Support Program

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] If there are farms having difficulty with farming or household activities due to illness, it is necessary to pay attention to the Vulnerable Farm Labor Support Project.

Gokseong-gun, Jeonnam announced on the 5th that the Vulnerable Farm Labor Support Project is operated year-round in cooperation with the Nonghyup for farms in need of assistance.

The project is largely divided into ‘Farming Helper’ and ‘Happiness Sharing Volunteer.’ The Farming Helper support project subsidizes the labor cost for someone to replace farming work for farms that have suffered accidents or illnesses. The Happiness Sharing Volunteer support project dispatches volunteers to help with household chores for elderly and vulnerable farms.

Agricultural management entities that have difficulty in farming activities due to accidents, illness, or outpatient treatment can apply for a Farming Helper.

If diagnosed with an injury lasting more than 2 weeks due to an accident, hospitalized for more than 3 days, diagnosed with one of the four major severe diseases (cancer, heart disease excluding hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, rare incurable diseases), and received outpatient treatment within the last 6 months, they are eligible to apply.

For the Farming Helper, only 30% (21,000 KRW) of the daily wage of 70,000 KRW must be self-paid, and 70% (49,000 KRW) is supported by the government. The maximum usage days per year is 10 days.

When a female farmer cannot work due to childbirth, she can apply for a ‘Farm Helper.’ The Farm Helper is a special policy of Jeonnam Province and can be applied for up to 70 days before and after childbirth. Farms only need to bear 20% of the helper’s daily wage of 68,720 KRW.

Even if not engaged in farming, household services can be supported. The Happiness Sharing Volunteer service dispatches volunteers (household helpers) in the form of volunteer work to households having difficulty with household activities. The target includes households residing in rural areas aged 65 or older, recipients of basic livelihood security, multicultural families, grandparent-grandchild households, and households with disabled persons.

Of the 15,000 KRW activity cost per Happiness Sharing Volunteer, 70% is supported by the government. The remaining 30%, 4,500 KRW, is supported by Nonghyup. It can be used up to 12 days per household annually, and applications can be made at the local Nonghyup in the area of residence.

Last year, 111 farms in Gokseong-gun used the Farm Helper service. Happiness Sharing was used by 553 farms.

The person in charge at the Gokseong-gun Agricultural Policy Division said, “We hope various labor support projects will help alleviate the labor shortage in rural areas,” and added, “Labor support projects are not only for economically disadvantaged people, and the application process is easy, so please inquire at the nearby Nonghyup and be sure to apply for the service if needed.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.