Yangcheon-gu to Select This Year's Best Urban Farmer

From August to October, the ‘Yangcheon 1 Madang Garden’ in Sinwol-dong, covering an area of 1,200㎡, will host the ‘1st Cultivation Competition’ for plot holders.

Judging based on growth condition and originality, 45 winners (15 plots) will be selected and awarded next year’s cultivation opportunity without a lottery, along with commemorative gifts.

Applications for participation will be accepted online and by phone through the district office’s integrated reservation portal from August 21 to 25.

Yangcheon-gu (District Mayor Lee Gijae) announced that it will hold the ‘1st Madang Garden Cultivation Competition’ at Yangcheon 1 Madang Garden (around 350-35 Sinwol-dong) until October to encourage cultivation and harvesting among about 300 urban farmers who leased plots in the ‘Yangcheon Madang Garden’ this year, aiming to revitalize urban agriculture.

This competition was established for the first time this year to foster a virtuous cycle urban agriculture system by motivating cultivation through healthy competition among urban farmers and promoting thorough garden management.

The cultivation site, Yangcheon 1 Madang Garden, spans 1,200㎡ and has shown a high competition rate averaging 10 to 1 since its first lease in 2020. This year, after fierce competition with a ratio of 34 to 1 in March, a total of 97 plots of 10㎡ each were leased to about 300 people, with the condition that at least three people participate per plot.

The competition period runs from this month through October. The district will select winners through preliminary and final evaluations of participants’ cultivation sites. The preliminary evaluation is conducted by the District Office’s Parks and Greenery Division, which checks compliance with garden operation regulations and management status through weekly on-site inspections. Then, a second evaluation panel composed of urban agriculture experts will comprehensively assess ▲crop growth condition (presence of pests and diseases, soil fertility) ▲crop arrangement (design, balance) ▲crop originality (garden expressiveness), ultimately selecting 5 outstanding plots (15 people) and 10 honorable mention plots (30 people) by October.

All winners will receive a choice of commemorative gifts such as a portable garden rake or a multi-purpose sprout and bean sprout cultivator. Additionally, outstanding award winners will receive the benefit of guaranteed plot allocation without a lottery for next year’s Madang Garden.

The ‘1st Madang Garden Cultivation Competition’ is open to residents who leased Madang Garden plots this year. Applications can be submitted online or by phone through the district office’s integrated reservation portal from August 21 to 25.

Lee Gijae, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, said, “We are holding the 1st cultivation competition using the Madang Garden so that Yangcheon’s urban farmers can enjoy crop cultivation activities with responsibility and affection,” adding, “Through this competition, we hope participants will cultivate emotional satisfaction such as a sense of achievement and fulfillment, and create meaningful memories with their cultivation community.”

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