Difficult to Return to Farming in Gyeonggi Province? "Happy Mentors Will Help Solve It"

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Province Agricultural and Fisheries Promotion Agency will implement the "Gyeonggi Province Return to Farming and Farming Villages Happy Mentor·Mentee" project through November this year to support communication between local residents and novice returnees to farming and to assist in stable settlement. The organizations are recruiting participants.

According to the National Statistical Portal, as of 2019, Gyeonggi Province ranked first nationwide among metropolitan local governments in returning population to farming villages (123,461 people).

With good transportation accessibility adjacent to Seoul and the coexistence of urban and rural areas, it is highly preferred by those dreaming of returning to farming and farming villages.

Mentee application qualifications include ▲urban residents who have switched to farming as a full-time occupation or relocated to rural areas to engage in related businesses, and those hoping to return to farming and farming villages ▲early returning farmers experiencing difficulties in farming operations due to lack of technical skills and experience ▲urban residents in the preparation stage for returning to farming and farming villages, or returning farmers residing in rural areas for five years or less (based on date of relocation) experiencing difficulties in initial settlement.

Applicants can receive free professional consultations up to five times through customized mentors including Agricultural Meisters, new knowledge farmers, and rural convergence industry business operators, including on-site mentoring visits and product and merchandise development talent mentoring.

Those wishing to participate can download the application form from the Gyeonggi Province Return to Farming and Farming Villages Support Center website (https://www.refarmgg.or.kr), fill it out, and submit it via email (minwook@gafi.or.kr).

Lee Yun-kyung, representative of Daemul Farm in Pyeongtaek, who participated in this project last year, said, "Unlike field experience learned only from books, by learning from experts' stories and experiences, we were able to certainly reduce trial and error in the field," and added, "I hope it will be helpful to many people hoping to return to farming and farming villages this year as well."

Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Province Return to Farming and Farming Villages Support Center plans to establish and operate information and systems for all stages from the planning stage of returning to farming to stable settlement and will promote various projects for successful return to farming.