5th Year of Returning to Rural Life with Annual Income of 40.45 Million KRW... 70% of New Farmers Return to Their Hometowns in a 'U-Shaped' Trend

2022 Survey on Returning to Farming and Rural Living
Preparation Period for Returning to Farming Decreases
7 out of 10 Households 'Generally Satisfied' with Rural Life

It was found that the annual income of those who moved to rural areas for five years reached 40.45 million KRW, nearly 15% higher than the first year. The preparation period for moving to rural areas shortened by 5.5 months, and 7 out of 10 households expressed overall satisfaction with rural life, according to a survey.

On the 2nd, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced the results of the "2022 Survey on Returning to Farming and Rural Areas."

The survey results showed that in the case of returning to farming, the tendency to move to a familiar place after living in the city (U-shaped migration) has strengthened. In 2018, 5 out of 10 households (53.0%) moved to a familiar place in a U-shaped pattern, but last year, it increased to 7 households (70.7%). For households moving to rural areas without prior ties, the proportion increased from 29.4% to 34.6% during the same period.

The reasons for returning to farming were natural environment (32.4%), vision and development potential of agriculture (21.0%), and succession of family business (20.0%) in that order. For moving to rural areas, employment outside agriculture (22.6%), natural environment (14.1%), and emotional relaxation (13.2%) were the top reasons.

Looking at the reasons for returning to farming by age group, young farmers under 30 prioritized the vision and development potential of agriculture (33.4%), while those aged 50 and above ranked natural environment first, showing differences by age group.

The average preparation period for returning to farming was 24.5 months, and for moving to rural areas, it was 15.7 months. During the preparation period, activities such as searching for settlement areas, housing and farmland, financing, and education on returning to farming and rural areas were conducted.

The preparation period for returning to farming decreased from 27.5 months in 2018 to 24.5 months in 2022, which the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs attributed to the expansion of the government's step-by-step support policy system.

The average annual household income in the fifth year after returning to farming and moving to rural areas was 32.06 million KRW and 40.45 million KRW, respectively, which increased by 41.4% and 14.9% compared to the first year’s 22.68 million KRW and 35.21 million KRW.

It was found that 45.4% of farming households engaged in non-agricultural activities to increase income and utilize talents and experience. Among households moving to rural areas, 6.1% were engaged in agriculture within five years after moving.

The average monthly living expenses were 1.83 million KRW for returning farmers and 2.16 million KRW for those moving to rural areas, which decreased by 30.9% and 16.3%, respectively, compared to 2.65 million KRW and 2.58 million KRW before moving.

67.8% of farming households and 49.8% of rural migrants responded that they have good relationships with local residents. The responses of "bad" were 2.3% and 1.9%, respectively. The main conflict factors were "use of village communal facilities" (35.1%) for returning farmers and "conflicts in understanding lifestyles" (32.6%) for rural migrants.

Seven out of ten households (67.2% of returning farmers and 67.4% of rural migrants) were generally satisfied with their life after moving. Three households responded neutral, and dissatisfaction was 2.3% and 1.8%, respectively.

For successful settlement, the most necessary policies for both returning farmers and rural migrants were information provision on farmland, housing, and jobs (39.9% for returning farmers and 39.8% for rural migrants), and financial support.

Based on the results of this survey, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to improve information provision functions related to returning to farming and rural areas this year, strengthen support for farming activities of returning farmers, and focus on supporting prior preparation and stable settlement of those wishing to move to rural areas.

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