Hwasun-gun Accelerates Efforts to Attract Urban Residents to Rural Areas

Published 12 Oct.2021 11:30(KST)

[Hwasun=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Ji-woon] Jeonnam Hwasun-gun (Governor Gu Chung-gon) is actively promoting various customized return-to-farming and return-to-village policies to attract urban residents to rural areas in response to the decline in the rural population.

According to the county on the 12th, the number of people returning to farming and rural areas has exceeded 2,000 annually, increasing from 2,146 in 2015, 2,154 in 2018, 2,015 in 2019, to 2,609 last year.

The number of households returning to farming and rural areas noticeably increased from 1,658 households in 2019 to 2,116 households last year.

It appears that the step-by-step systematic implementation of return-to-farming and return-to-village policies has been effective in attracting a stable population of returnees.

The county is implementing support policies such as ▲return-to-farming startup and housing purchase support projects ▲repair costs for returnee farmers’ houses ▲returnee stabilization support projects ▲field education for new farmers ▲operation of returnee houses.

According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute’s ‘2020 Public Awareness Survey on Agriculture and Rural Areas,’ 41.4% of urban residents responded that they hope to return to farming or rural living after retirement.

This is a 6.8% increase compared to the 2019 survey. The potential demand for return-to-farming and rural living is increasing.

Accordingly, the county is discovering and promoting various policies while participating in return-to-farming and rural living fairs to highlight the advantages of returning to farming and rural living in Hwasun.

As policies for the interest stage in return-to-farming and rural living, the county operates return-to-farming and rural living schools twice a year, provides field training for new farmers, and encourages return-to-farming and rural living in Hwasun through the “Living in Jeonnam” program, helping stable settlement.

Since 2014 until last year, among 502 graduates of the return-to-farming and rural living schools, about 130 (26.3%) have returned to farming.

The “Living in Jeonnam” program allows urban residents to live in rural areas for an extended period before actually returning to farming or rural living, experiencing jobs and daily life. This year, 56 people participated, and recruitment is ongoing.

To resolve housing issues faced in the early stages of return-to-farming and rural living, the county operates five returnee houses to support a smooth transition.

Additionally, to support returnees in the implementation stage, policies such as ▲support for agricultural startups and housing purchases for returnees ▲support for self-production of safe food and rural life for non-agricultural and returnee residents are being promoted.

For the settlement stage, policies focus on ▲supporting the development of returnee associations ▲providing essential infrastructure for agricultural activities such as cold storage, small agricultural machinery, and medium-sized wells ▲supporting repair costs for farmhouses ▲supporting packaging materials for returnee agricultural products ▲operating unmanned local farm markets for returnees, aiming to prevent re-migration and ensure stable settlement.

An official from the Agricultural Technology Center said, “Interest in return-to-farming and rural living among urban residents is growing due to COVID-19 and other factors,” adding, “We will discover and implement practical support policies to ensure that the demand for return-to-farming and rural living leads to actual rural migration and regional settlement.”