Hwasun-gun to Conduct 'Farmland Usage Survey' Until November

[Hwasun=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Ji-woon] Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do plans to strengthen farmland management to promote efficient ownership and use management of farmland and to restore farmland's proper function as an agricultural production element rather than a target of speculation.

The county announced on the 9th that it will conduct the 2021 "Farmland Use Status Survey" by November.

They are also promoting a comprehensive maintenance of the Farmland Register, with 11,259 parcels (825 hectares) subject to the survey.

The county will focus inspections on 10,642 parcels (739 hectares) of farmland acquired by non-local residents through inheritance or sale within the last 10 years, and 564 parcels (88 hectares) owned by agricultural corporations.

Parcels requiring on-site investigation during the maintenance of the Farmland Register, farmland detected as illegally converted and restored to its original state, and farmland subject to acquisition tax reassessment are also included in the survey.

For farmland owned by agricultural corporations (farming cooperatives, agricultural companies), a full survey will be conducted to check compliance with farmland ownership requirements such as whether agricultural management is being conducted, the proportion of farmers in the corporation, and the investment limits of farmers.

The county will investigate whether farmland owners are engaged in agricultural management to detect unauthorized fallow land and illegal leases, and will also examine recent violations of the Farmland Act involving farm sheds and embankments, as well as the agricultural management status of agricultural facilities with solar power installations (livestock barns, mushroom cultivation houses, etc.).

Farm sheds must be installed with a total floor area of 20㎡ or less under the Farmland Act. Using them for residential purposes, installing decks and access roads, paving with gravel, creating parking lots, or registering farm sheds as residences are all illegal.

Regarding embankments, the survey will check for damage caused by soil inflow into nearby farmland and drainage channels, use of inappropriate soil, use of recycled soil within 1 meter, and measures to prevent soil erosion on slopes.

If violations of the Farmland Act such as illegal ownership, leasing, or unauthorized fallow land are confirmed, administrative actions including "imposition of farmland disposal obligations" and prosecution will be taken after a hearing process.

The county is also conducting a comprehensive maintenance of the Farmland Register, which has been promoted nationwide for two years since last year.

This year's maintenance targets are Farmland Registers owned by farmers under 80 years old, where the farmer's address and the location of the owned farmland are the same. As of last month, 38,644 out of 43,808 target parcels (88%) have been completed.

If there is a discrepancy between the Farmland Register and the management entity registration data regarding cultivation status, the Farmland Register will be deleted after a clarification process, and farmland found to be in violation will be subject to administrative measures such as imposition of farmland disposal obligations linked to the farmland use status survey.

A county official said, "Through the strengthened farmland use status survey and comprehensive maintenance of the Farmland Register, we will systematize farmland management and fundamentally block violations of the Farmland Act. We will continue to do our best to establish and realize the constitutional principle of Geonja Yujeon (耕者有田, 'those who cultivate shall have land')."

Hwasun=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Ji-woon rosaria0704@asiae.co.kr

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