Gyeonggi-do Expands 'Healing Agriculture Services' for Developmental and Mental Disabilities to 9 Cities and Counties

by Lee YeongKyu

Published 10 Apr.2025 07:07(KST)

Gyeonggi Province is expanding its 'Healing Agriculture Service' for people with developmental and mental disabilities from 6 to 9 cities and counties.

The Healing Agriculture Service is a healing program in nature that allows individuals aged 10 and older with developmental and mental disabilities to engage in farming and animal interaction activities at healing farms through voucher cards.

Since 2023, Gyeonggi Province has developed and operated the Healing Agriculture Service, which links agriculture and welfare, as part of the Community Service Investment Project, the first of its kind nationwide. The Community Service Investment Project is a program where local governments discover, plan, and provide necessary social services to meet the diverse needs of local residents.

The main Healing Agriculture Service programs include ▲healing activities utilizing farms and natural environments ▲horticulture and crop cultivation activities ▲creative activities using natural materials such as cooking and natural dyeing ▲emotional stabilization activities through interaction with animals ▲specialized services leveraging the strengths of each healing farm.

Gyeonggi-do Healing Agriculture Service Information Poster

The service is conducted once a week, 48 times a year, with each session lasting 120 minutes. The service fee is 220,000 KRW per month, and government subsidies cover between 60% and 90% of the cost depending on the household income.

Gyeonggi Province supports user monitoring, intensive consulting for healing farms, and training for service providers to promote wider use of the Healing Agriculture Service among residents.

Kim Hana, Director of Welfare at Gyeonggi Province, said, "The Healing Agriculture Service is a commendable example of developing and operating local resources for the well-being of Gyeonggi residents. We will strive to enable more residents to participate in the Healing Agriculture Service to achieve mental and physical stability and to further expand community services utilizing rural resources."