Changwon Special City Faces Agricultural Labor Shortage... Replaced by Agricultural Machinery

Improving Farmers' Convenience through Support for Agricultural Machinery Purchase, Rental, Training, and Insurance Fees

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam Province has established a comprehensive agricultural machinery support plan in line with the full-scale farming season, aiming to replace the shortage of rural labor caused by the aging and feminization of rural areas with agricultural machinery.

According to the 2022 Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Survey conducted by Statistics Korea, Changwon ranks third nationwide in farm size, estimating that 320,000 workers will be needed during this farming season. Aside from labor secured by farms themselves, the remaining workforce will be supported through the introduction of foreign seasonal workers, operation of rural labor brokerage centers, and comprehensive agricultural machinery support and education to assist farming activities according to timing and demand.

Changwon Special City Hall, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

To this end, the city plans to invest 1.1 billion KRW, a 35% increase from the previous year, to promote the ‘Small and Medium-sized Agricultural Machinery Support Project,’ expanding support for the purchase of frequently used agricultural machinery and broadening the range of machinery options needed for farming to enhance utilization.

In particular, the city will newly purchase 30 units of 20 types of high-priced agricultural machinery that are in high demand among farmers and difficult for farms to purchase directly, to be available at the agricultural machinery rental centers operated by the city. For large agricultural machinery, the city will expand cargo delivery services to provide high-quality services to farmers.

Additionally, to alleviate inconveniences faced by farmers living in island and remote villages where agricultural machinery repair is difficult, the city has implemented a ‘Visiting Agricultural Machinery Mobile Repair Service,’ completing safety inspections on frequently used small agricultural machinery and providing simple repair training, thereby completing pre-season inspections before the full-scale farming season.

The city also supports agricultural machinery insurance premiums to help farmers maintain stable farming operations and compensate for physical and property damages.

This year, support will be expanded from 70% to 90% compared to the previous year to reduce the burden on farms and increase subscription rates. The insurance covers a total of 12 types of agricultural machinery, and farmers aged 19 and over (including agricultural corporation workers) can apply year-round at nearby regional Nonghyup branches.

Hong Nampyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, stated, “With the recent aging of rural areas and the increase of female farmers, the use of agricultural machinery is inevitable. We will continue to strive to expand support so that it can provide practical help in alleviating labor shortages and reducing management costs for farmers.”

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