"Livestock and Crop Farming Coexistence"... Gyeonggi-do to Promote 'Eco-friendly Circular Agriculture Using Compost' Starting This Year

6 Cities and Counties Including Hwaseong and Yongin Target 918ha Farmland
Use of Compost Meeting Livestock Manure Act's Anaerobic Digestion Standards

Photo materials [Paju-si]

[Asia Economy Reporter La Young-cheol] Gyeonggi Province is promoting 'Integrated Crop-Livestock Circular Agriculture,' which involves growing crops using livestock manure and using crop by-products as livestock feed, targeting six cities and counties including Hwaseong and Yongin.

The province has designated approximately 918 hectares of farmland across 215 farms in six cities and counties: Hwaseong 150, Yongin 28, Pyeongtaek 17, Icheon 10, Pocheon 9, and Yeoncheon 1.

The total number of livestock farms supplying compost to these crop farms is 6,274, and as of October, 4,283 farms have passed the composting inspection.

The core of this project is that livestock manure, which meets the composting standards under the Livestock Manure Act through strict fermentation management by livestock farms, is applied to the farms.

This manure contains various nutrients necessary for farming such as nitrogen and calcium, while having significantly less odor than general livestock manure and causing less impact on the surrounding environment.

The province expects mutual benefits between livestock and crop farms, as crop farms, burdened by the recent rise in agricultural fertilizer prices, can use high-quality fertilizer without incurring large costs.

At the same time, it is expected to help resolve labor shortages for crop farms by supporting tillage and other cultivation work through a specialized compost distribution organization.

'Integrated Crop-Livestock Circular Agriculture' is gaining attention as a sustainable and environmentally friendly circular farming method that systematically matures and recycles livestock manure, which can be a pollutant, into agricultural compost.

From July to October this year, the province accepted participation applications from crop farms within the province and, with the cooperation of the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services and city and county agricultural technology centers, conducted soil tests and calculated the required fertilizer amounts for the farmland.

From next month until April next year, the province plans to provide free support for compost transportation and application to the participating crop farms' farmland through a specialized compost distribution organization.

Kim Young-soo, Director of the Livestock and Forestry Bureau, said, "Integrated Crop-Livestock Circular Agriculture will not only reduce livestock odors but also decrease chemical fertilizer use by crop farms and contribute to carbon neutrality," adding, "We will ensure that livestock and crop farming coexist so that integrated crop-livestock circular agriculture can take root."

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