‘Darangnon’ Awakens... Sancheong-gun Promotes Resource Development of Rice Terrace Area on Hwangmaesan Foothills

Hwangmaesan Terraced Rice Fields.

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[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Hwangmaesan terraced rice fields are emerging as a new regional resource.

On the 12th, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam Province announced that the Hwangmaegol Saengmyeong Sallim Agricultural Cooperative in Chahwang-myeon was selected for the ‘2022 Terraced Rice Field Regional Resource Contest Project’ hosted by Gyeongnam Province.

Sancheong-gun plans to use this contest selection as an opportunity to promote regional resource projects such as the restoration and preservation of terraced rice fields in the Chahwang-myeon area.

The county and Hwangmaegol cooperative secured a project budget of 100 million KRW (40 million KRW from the provincial government and 60 million KRW from the county) through this contest selection.

They plan to develop and operate various experiential events centered on the terraced rice fields at the foot of Hwangmaesan, including restoration and preservation of terraced rice fields in the Chahwang-myeon area.

Specifically, they plan to create a ‘Terraced Rice Field Healing Road’ utilizing the emotional landscape of the terraced rice fields and develop a healing experience event called ‘Rice Field Picnic.’

The ‘2022 Terraced Rice Field Regional Resource Contest Project’ promoted by Gyeongnam Province is a project to preserve and utilize terraced rice fields, which are agricultural heritage and regional assets.

It is a project promoted as part of the resident participation budget to create regional value such as eco-friendly agriculture and revitalize the local economy.

The Chahwang-myeon area of Sancheong-gun has been known since the late 1980s as a place where eco-friendly farming methods have been introduced using a clean natural environment.

Using the long-standing stone-built stepped terraced rice fields and the clean natural environment at the foot of Hwangmaesan, the entire Chahwang-myeon was designated as a wide-area eco-friendly agricultural complex in 2007 and received organic certification for rice farming.

To widely promote eco-friendly rice produced in these areas, the ‘Sancheong Grasshopper Festival’ is also held in the Jeomnam Village area of Chahwang-myeon.

Local agricultural enterprises are also steadily working to foster and develop eco-friendly agriculture.

In addition to the Hwangmaegol Saengmyeong Sallim Agricultural Cooperative selected for this contest project, the Hwangmaesan Hwanggeumdeul Agricultural Cooperative was awarded the grand prize in the group category of the ‘10th Gyeongnam Province Eco-friendly Ecological Agriculture Awards’ in 2020 for its efforts in leading eco-friendly agriculture.

Also, based on organic circular agriculture covering everything from forage production to livestock, the ‘Sancheong Natural Circular Agriculture Agricultural Cooperative,’ which received the country’s first ‘Integrated Safety Management Certification (HACCP)’ in the organic Korean beef sector in 2019, is growing centered in Chahwang-myeon.

Sancheong-gun was also highly evaluated for encouraging eco-friendly ecological farming methods and was selected as an ‘Excellent County’ in the 2020 ‘10th Gyeongnam Province Eco-friendly Ecological Agriculture Awards’ for outstanding city and county evaluations.

Since 2007, the county has been promoting eco-friendly agricultural product production and distribution support projects for various crops such as rice, Korean beef, strawberries, pears, dried persimmons, and bracken, centered on the Sancheong wide-area eco-friendly agricultural complex in Chahwang-myeon.

Currently, 706 farms produce agricultural products using eco-friendly farming methods on 770 hectares, including 407.6 hectares of organic farming and 362.4 hectares of pesticide-free farming.

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