Gangdong-gu Urban Agriculture Paradigm Changes...Qualitative Leap to 'Social Urban Agriculture' Embracing Neighbors

Focusing on Healing, Care, Education, Sharing, and Job Creation for Marginalized Groups through Urban Agriculture

'WeCanFarm' for Socially Disadvantaged Individuals Opened on April 4

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) is focusing on expanding the social value and public nature of urban agriculture by promoting ‘social urban agriculture’ for the underprivileged.

Moving beyond the level of pursuing personal and family happiness through gardening, the plan aims to expand the communal value inherent in agriculture and achieve a qualitative leap as a ‘warm urban agriculture that embraces neighbors.’

Gangdong-gu, which started urban agriculture in 2009, currently has about 141,052㎡ of urban gardens, eight infrastructure facilities including the Urban Agriculture Support Center, Public Meal Service Center, and PAMIX Center, as well as various education and experience programs such as academies and urban agriculture expos, and network organizations.

Based on these resources, the district plans to carry out various projects under the vision of ‘Gangdong Sharing Together, Urban Farmers Planting Hearts,’ realizing healing and care, education, sharing, and job creation for vulnerable groups.

First, the healing and care functions through urban agriculture will be strengthened. They operate ‘Healing Farm,’ a themed garden for the disabled, and ‘We Can Farm’ for socially considerate groups such as elderly living alone, and create fresh gardens in social welfare facilities to conduct healing programs. The newly renovated ‘PAMIX Garden’ will also be used to provide lifestyle art programs related to food, clothing, and shelter, as well as experience classes for socially disadvantaged groups.

Additionally, new community education programs will be launched, including a honey soap class for out-of-school youth, experience gardens for children with disabilities, and family-based eco-friendly farm experience learning centers for people with developmental disabilities and multicultural families. Sharing will be practiced through projects such as the ‘SimSim (心心) Garden Volunteer Group’s SimTong (心通) Package,’ which delivers garden harvests to vulnerable groups, and donations of rice harvested from children’s rice paddy schools.

Furthermore, efforts will be made to increase social participation and create jobs for the underprivileged through senior job creation related to the insect industry, support for securing sales channels for elderly farmers, and operating matching booths during the Gangdong Urban Agriculture Expo.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, said, “We plan to expand social urban agriculture based on the urban agriculture foundation we have built so far, with themes of happiness, healing, care, and sharing,” adding, “We will promote urban agriculture in daily life that anyone can enjoy participating in without residents being excluded due to disability, poverty, or other reasons.”

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