Large-scale 'Youth Smart Farm' Established in Saesan Reclaimed Land, Chungnam

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province is establishing a large-scale ‘Youth Smart Farm’ farming complex in the Saesan reclaimed land.

According to the province on the 5th, on the same day, Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum signed a ‘Youth Farmer Development Business Agreement’ with Saesan Mayor Lee Wan-seop and Hyundai Construction CEO Yoon Young-jun.

The agreement was centered on creating a 3.3 million square meter farming complex in the AB district of the Saesan reclaimed land. The farming complex will be established using provincial land, farmland owned by Hyundai Construction, and farmland reserved by the Korea Rural Community Corporation’s Farmland Bank.

According to the agreement, the province and Saesan City will provide administrative and financial support for facilities, education, housing, and other infrastructure to help youth farmers settle in farming, while Hyundai Construction will assist with securing farmland, site development, and farmland leasing necessary for farming.

First, the province will install a 100,000 square meter smart farm within the farming complex to lease to youth, allowing them to cultivate various crops in the smart farm.

In addition to the smart farm, youth will be able to lease farmland for farming activities, with plans to encourage the installation of smart farms rather than rice paddy farming.

The establishment of the farming complex aims to promote the influx and settlement of youth farmers in the farming field and to foster sustainable agricultural development in the future. The purpose is to reduce the initial costs required for youth to enter agriculture and help establish a stable farming foundation.

Youth farmers who will move into the farming complex will be selected from those who have completed smart farm education at the provincial Agricultural Technology Center and city/county Agricultural Technology Centers.

Additionally, the province plans to provide housing for the selected youth farmers to help them settle stably in the region.

A total of 43.6 billion KRW will be invested in the youth farmer support policy for those moving into the farming complex by 2025, and detailed plans regarding smart farm and farmland leasing, as well as housing supply, will be prepared and announced later, according to the province.

Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum said, “By establishing a large-scale smart farm farming complex in Saesan, we will provide farmland and funds to about 300 youth farmers annually and support youth agricultural startups and rural settlement through farming education and practice. In particular, to strengthen the capabilities of women farmers, we will newly promote improvements in farming work environments, specialized education, and overseas training.”

Meanwhile, the province plans to invest a total of 596.4 billion KRW by 2026 in improving the agricultural structure, including youth farmer development and strengthening the capabilities of women farmers. Through this, the province aims to increase the proportion of the agricultural sector in the total budget from 14.5% next year to 16% in 2026.

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