1. Related Current Situation

• (Creation of Space for Desirable Farming Area) Expect* the increased migration to farming areas by urban residents who prefer untact environment with low density of population since COVID-19.
  * The inclination of returning to agriculture and farming area by urban residents since COVID-19 increased to 41.4% (2020.12, KREI) more than the previous year (34.6%).
  • Until now, supplemented a service infrastructure by improving* the dwelling conditions of aged poor houses, supplying SOC (Social Overhead Capital) for living** and expanding a transportation model of farming area type.(82 cities and guns)
    * For recent 3 years (2018~2020), reworked 23,260 unoccupied houses and 18,092 aged poor houses
    ** Complex Center for Living by SOC, (accumulated): (2017) 369 sites → (2018) 488 → (2019) 589 → (2020) 693
  • Nevertheless, still stumbling block of various weak infrastructures in farming areas such as dwelling environment, education, childcare, medical service, and culture compared to urban infrastructure
    ⇨ Necessary comprehensive maintenance and improvement of the space for farming area in preparation for the population migration to farming area

• (Enhanced Inclusion of Agriculture and Farming Area) Promote inclusive policy such as the provision of social service by social farms and the expansion of local foods to stabilize the income of small-scale farms
  * ① Supply proportion of local foods (2019→2020): Innovative cities (27.2%→37.1), Guns (36.1→43.3), Local governments (25.9→33.1)
  ② Farmhouses participating in a direct store and consumer members: (2019) 23 thousand farmhouses, 1.36 million people → (2020) 36 farmhouses, 4.38 million people
  • Introduced a demonstrative support program for agricultural foods such as voucher for agricultural foods to secure fruits and snacks for childcare classes at elementary schools and the basic right of food varieties for vulnerable social groups.
    * Fruits and snacks for childcare classes at elementary schools (2018~), eco-friendly packages for pregnant women (2020~), vouchers for agricultural foods (2020~)
  • Concern of the expanded possibility of threat upon dietary life of vulnerable social groups such as decreased purchase of food and drinks by low income households due to COVID-19
    * The expenses for foods and drinks by the households of 1 million won monthly income decreased by 2.1% during the first quarter of 2020, but by the households of 2 million and higher monthly income increased by 4 to 18% (2020.11, KREI)
    ⇨ Necessary expansion of social role by agriculture and farming areas such as the reinforcement of supporting food varieties for vulnerable social groups in cities and farming areas, and for farms with small-scale and old age farmers

2. Promotion Plan

• (New Deal to Regenerate Farming Areas) Promote the comprehensive reorganization of farming areas by establishing 'Space Plan for Farming Areas' through the collaboration with relevant department

• • (Space Plan) Establish the space plan for areas (5 sites, February~) which require the urgent improvement of settlement environment such as factory, livestock pens, new renewable energy, etc and promote the enactment of basis laws
  • (Living by SOC·Dwelling) Consider the distribution and forecast of population, service facilities and transportation network to supply an optimum service and expand dwelling infrastructure specialized to farming areas
    * Goal by Complex Center for Living by SOC (accumulated): (2020) 693 sites (accumulated) → (2021) 797 → (2022) 900
  • (Agreement of Farming Area) To improve the settlement conditions of farming areas such as living by SOC and basic infrastructure, expand 'Agreement of Farming Area' in that government and local government invest jointly (2020: 9 sites → 2021: 20)

• (Activation of Return to Agriculture and Farming Areas) Establish a two way platform which is comprehensively provided for a person who wishes to return to agriculture and farming area from the local base policy to the information of jobs and welfare (~2023)
  • Introduce a program, 'Live in Farming Area', to dwell for maximum 6 months in advance and to experience farming before moving to a farming area (89 areas in cities and guns, 500 households, March~)

• (Safety Network in Agriculture and Farming Areas) Strengthen a social safety network for vulnerable social groups in farming areas by utilizing social farm and NongHyup.
  • (Social Agriculture) Expand social farms that interconnect and provide the services of agricultural activities and cares (30 sites → 60) and discover a care model for each local unit (2 sites)
    - Enacted the basis laws to regulate the conditions of social farm and introduce the designation system (September)
  • (Local Foods) Support the establishment of the production and supply system (Organization, contract production, etc) for local foods based on the food plan for each region
    - Expand the proportion of participation in local foods by farms with small-scale and old age and support the untact marketing* in response to COVID-19
    * In connection with NH Mall (Online) and local foods' direct stores (offline), establish a delivery system for short distance
  • (Employment Safety Network) Review a measure to apply employment insurance for farmers, which reflects the distinct characteristic of agricultural field according to ｢Road Map Applied with Nationwide Employment Insurance｣
    - Identify the income of farmhouses and consider the distinct characteristic of business site and agriculture to specify the application measure for each issue such as the definition of employment situation, namely closed business and unemployment

• (Strengthened Accessibility to Food Varieties for Vulnerable Social Group) Integrate the project in individual promotion to support agricultural products for vulnerable social groups such as voucher for agricultural foods and review a measure to expand and restructure.
  • Prepare an effective analysis (June) and an integrated measure (December) for 3 projects in promotion (Fruits & snacks, eco-friendly agriculture product package for pregnant women, voucher) as a demonstrative project until now

3. Expected Effect

• Strengthen an inclusive basis for agriculture and farming area through ①Improvement of living condition for farming area, ②Activation of social economy, and ③Expansion of local foods participated by farms of small-scale and old age