Wando Cheongsando Gudlejang Rice Paddy Wins Ministerial Award at Korea Landscape Awards

Achievements of Guduljang Non Preservation Council and Resident Participation in Rural Unique Landscape Conservation Project

Seasonal Landscape Crop Planting of Buckwheat, Rapeseed, Green Barley, Cosmos, etc.

The "Cheongsando Gudlejang Rice Paddy Unique Landscape Conservation Project" received the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award in the private sector at the 11th Korea Landscape Awards in 2021. ⓒ Asia Economy

[Wando＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] On the 26th, Jeonnam Wando-gun announced that the ‘Cheongsando Guduljang Rice Paddy Preservation Council’s ‘Cheongsando Guduljang Rice Paddy Unique Landscape Preservation Project’ received the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award in the private sector at the ‘11th Korea Landscape Awards 2021.’

The ‘Korea Landscape Awards,’ jointly hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korean Society of Landscape Architecture, is a prestigious award in the field of landscaping introduced in 2001. It comprehensively evaluates landscaping policies and practical cases to discover and select outstanding local governments and private projects for awards.

The Cheongsando Guduljang Rice Paddy was recognized for its unique irrigation system and biodiversity value, and was designated as the first National Important Agricultural Heritage in 2013 and as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2014.

The ‘Cheongsando Guduljang Rice Paddy Unique Landscape Preservation Project’ aims to preserve the unique landscape of Cheongsando, which holds a distinctive agricultural heritage, in response to the increase in fallow land due to aging. The Cheongsando Guduljang Rice Paddy Preservation Council is promoting the project with support from Wando-gun.

Since the pilot project for the fallow Guduljang rice paddies in Buheung-ri in 2016, a total of 91,051㎡ of fallow land in four villages including Yangjung-ri has been restored and maintained to date.

The Guduljang rice paddies have been restored to a cultivable state through the repair of collapsed stone walls, paddy bottoms, and the maintenance of waterways and farm roads, and seasonal landscape crops such as buckwheat, rapeseed, green barley, and cosmos have been planted.

In particular, areas easily accessible to residents and tourists have been planted with landscape crops like cosmos to allow for photography and rest, while less accessible areas have been planted with elephant garlic to provide visual interest and contribute to farm income.

County Governor Shin Woo-cheol said, “We will continue to actively cooperate with related organizations to preserve the unique landscape where Cheongsando’s natural environment and Guduljang rice paddies harmonize and to make the Guduljang rice paddies, a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage, a representative natural landscape of our country.”

Meanwhile, in June, Wando-gun signed a business agreement (MOU) with the social cooperative ‘Cheongsando Guduljang Rice Paddy Preservation Dure’ to support the resident-led preservation and utilization projects continuously for the Cheongsando Guduljang Rice Paddy Unique Landscape Preservation Project.

Wando＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil ckp6737@asiae.co.kr

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