Jeongeup-si Supports Convenience Equipment for Female Farmers' Agricultural Work

Published 06 Feb.2024 10:30(KST)

Jeongeup City in Jeonbuk Province will support agricultural work convenience equipment for female farmers due to the increased role of female farmers in agricultural work caused by labor shortages in rural areas.

According to the city on the 6th, the female farmers' agricultural work convenience equipment support project is a program aimed at reducing the burden of agricultural work on female farmers and improving work efficiency, thereby contributing to increased farm income.

Jeongeup City Hall. [Photo by Jeongeup City]

Last year, about 67 million KRW was invested to support 156 farms, receiving great response from many female farmers.

The city plans to prioritize providing equipment to female farmers registered as single households and farm operators to improve the working environment for female farmers vulnerable to agricultural work.

Starting this year, reflecting residents' opinions, eight types of equipment will be additionally supported instead of the existing seven types (agricultural work table, rechargeable sprayer, rechargeable carrier, chili pepper harvester, rechargeable brush cutter, multipurpose seeder, rechargeable automatic pruning shears, small cultivator).

The support target is female farmers residing in rural areas whose total comprehensive income excluding agriculture is less than 37 million KRW.

The project cost is 500,000 KRW (400,000 KRW subsidy, 100,000 KRW self-payment), and applications can be submitted through the local eup/myeon/dong offices by the 29th of this month.

In addition, a childbirth female farm helper support project is conducted to prevent the burden of childbirth due to farming issues by providing farm helpers to take over work when female farmers must stop working due to childbirth, thereby preventing farm income loss.

The childbirth female farm helper support project subsidizes 90% of the daily unit price of 90,000 KRW per helper, and eligible applicants can apply year-round at their local eup/myeon/dong offices from 30 days before childbirth to 150 days after childbirth.

Lee Yong-gwan, director of the Agricultural Technology Center, said, “Through welfare policies for female farmers, we will continue various customized supports to improve the working environment in rural areas and enable easy participation in farming activities.”