| Title | Cheongju to Go All Out in 2023 to Achieve Co-Prosperity of Urban and Rural Communities |
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| Writer | Cheongju |
| Subject |
In 2023, Cheongju City is going to expand its administrative capabilities to achieve a balanced development where the urban and rural communities complement each other.
The city will increase its agricultural budgets by 7.2% YoY and invest KRW 180.9 billion to achieve a radical reform of farm villages and realize sustainable agriculture. ▶ Development of smart future agriculture To keep up with the age of the Industry 4.0, Cheongju will promote future agriculture by converting the agricultural and livestock sites into smart farms that are integrated with the latest ICT. The city plans to install automatic and remote control systems in greenhouses, orchards and farms in order to increase efficiency and productivity. It aims to establish 165 smart gardening facilities and 174 smart livestock facilities by 2026, and will invest KRW 1.4 billion this year to establish 144 facilities (93 gardening facilities and 51 livestock facilities). In addition to smart facilities, it is going to invest approximately KRW 900 million to foster young farmers and next generation of farmers in order to secure the future for the agricultural industry. The city will also provide customized support programs such as settlement allowances and technology and business training for each settlement stage to help young farmers secure a base and settle their farms successfully. ▶ Revitalization of the exchange between the urban and rural communities for “lively farm villages” Cheongju will also launch a project to improve settlement conditions in the farm villages to promote the urban-rural exchange. As part of an agricultural hub vitalization project, the city will invest KRW 8.776 billion in the area around Ochang-eup and Nangseong-myeon. The project in the Gadeok and Namil area which commenced in 2019 is scheduled to finish this year. In addition, under the agricultural village agreement project that won the public contest in June last year, the city will invest KRW 639 million in Miwon-myeon to launch a project dedicated to improving the living conditions in the farm village. In order to promote the co-prosperity of the urban and rural areas, Cheongju will also expand safety and convenience facilities for agricultural activities and experience programs, attract and support people returning to farm villages, provide agricultural machinery to returning farmers, build the infrastructure that can support social economy services in farm villages, and vitalize social farming. ▶ Transformation of Cheongwon Life into a popular and trustworthy brand The relocation of the wholesale market for agricultural products will be carried out according to the Cheongju Cheongwon Co-Prosperity and Development Agreement. The new wholesale market will be constructed in Oksan-myeon by October 2025. It is expected to become a core logistics market in the central region as a futuristic wholesale market in response to the changing distribution industry through its integration of online stores. Cheongju also plans to develop the Cheongwon Life festival, the largest quality agricultural product sales festival in Cheongju, into a agricultural culture festival. Jointly created by consumers in the city and farmers in the rural areas, the festival will symbolize harmony and provide an opportunity to experience the past, present and future of agriculture. In particular, all rice products from Cheongwon Life will be replaced with Korean rice varieties “Alchanmi” and “Haedeul.” Through strict production and quality control, it is seeking to obtain the low carbon emission certification at the largest scale in Korea (1,141 ha) following last year. It is also aiming to acquire the LOHAS certification for 17 consecutive years. ▶ Safe agricultural production against natural disasters Cheongju city will also carry out supporting programs to promote safe production of agricultural products, actively seeking to mitigate agricultural damage caused by climate change. It will help stabilize the business operation of farmhouses by introducing support programs such as provision of agricultural drones, agricultural agency services, agricultural materials, public interest direct payments, public allowances, inorganic fertilizer subsidies, and supply-demand stabilization support funds. It will also launch programs that develop groundwater wells to relieve drought, develop multi-purpose agricultural water, develop new drain facilities, and maintain reservoirs and waterways to ensure stable supply of agricultural water and prevent potential damage caused by flooding of agricultural land. In addition, the city will induce support for farms that produce eco-friendly agricultural products, and expand the distribution and consumption of facilities, equipment and materials that are essential to establish the foundation for eco-friendly agriculture as well as eco-friendly agricultural products. In order to achieve this, the city will create Special Organic Zone, support certified organic farms, and provide safe agricultural products to pregnant women residing in Cheongju. Under the eco-friendly agricultural product gift program, Cheongju plans to invest KRW 900 million to 2,353 pregnant women this year. ▶ The agricultural policy that is changing from this year Changes that are taking effect this year include: (a) extension of the Settlement Allowance for Young Farmers (from up to KRW 1 million to KRW 1.1 million a month for three years; from up to KRW 300 million to KRW 500 million loan; from up to five years of deferral to 20 years of repayment period); (b) Public Allowances for Farmers (from KRW 500k to 600k; non-agricultural income requirement has been relaxed from KRW 29 million to 37 million; the clause on civil servants such as pensioners and public agency employees and executives has been deleted); (c) Basic Public Interest Direct Payments (the eligibility requirement, which is for farmlands that received direct payments between 2017 and 2019, has been deleted); (d) change in the rice varieties of contract farming for Cheongwon Life Rice (from Alchanmi, Haedeul, Chujeong, Koshihikari to Alchanmi, Haedeul); and (e) change in the rice varieties eligible for public rice reserves (from Hwanggeumnodeul and Chujeong to Alchalmi and Chamdeurim). A city official said, “We are going to work hard to help achieve a balanced development between the urban and rural areas, and make pleasant agricultural environment and farming villages by strengthening small yet strong farmhouses that value safety and environment.” |
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| 이전글 | ‘Future Heritages of Cheongju’ That Capture the Citizens’ Sentiment |
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