Latest news with #KoreaRuralEconomicInstitute
![[Song Mi-ryung] Future of rural areas starts with place-making](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F04%2F22%2Fnews-p.v1.20250422.c65c4d557f3542efa8e1f1aedc7109e6_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Song Mi-ryung] Future of rural areas starts with place-making](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
22-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Song Mi-ryung] Future of rural areas starts with place-making
Since Jan. 24, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has put in place a system of a 'temporary lodging facility for farming-based rural sojourn' to respond to the population decline in South Korea's rural areas. The facilities are temporary lodging facilities with a gross floor area of 33 square meters or less — not including ancillary facilities such as parking spaces and septic tanks, etc. — built on rural farmland for city dwellers to spend time at for weekend farming or farming experiences. In South Korea, spending time in temporary lodging facilities is emerging as a new way of life that spans both urban and rural areas. According to data from the Korea Rural Economic Institute, the percentage of urban dwellers who said they wanted to retire to a rural area or live as a farmer reached a record high of 57.3 percent. Not only older people, but young adults are also seeing rural areas as places of new opportunities. The number of businesses in rural South Korea grew by 7 percent on average annually from 2010 to 2022, which was higher than the national average. To meet the needs of the trend, the ministry since last year has been implementing a rural place-making plan as a new platform to shape the future of rural areas, with local communities at the helm. Under the plan, governments of cities and counties — in South Korea, a county ("gun") is an administrative unit below the city level — and residents there work together and sketch out a spatial plan based on the needs and capabilities of their communities. The ministry then rounds off the plan by providing a complete package of financial support for those local governments and relaxing related regulations. Following this mechanism, 100 or more out of 139 cities and counties have been developing spatial plans since the Act on Support for Rural Spatial Restructuring and Regeneration came into force in March 2024. To back the implementation of those plans, the ministry has worked out a strategic plan to promote rural place-making. Under the strategic plan, the ministry will ramp up financial support to ensure that rural place-making plans established by governments of cities and counties can be converted to practice as planned. Specifically, if governments of cities and counties have established their own rural place-making plans, the ministry and local governments sign an agreement under which the ministry's financial support is provided for the projects worth a maximum of 30 billion won ($21 million) described in such rural place-making plans. Starting from 2026, the financial support will be increased to 40 billion won. Also, in the case that governments of cities and counties designate rural spaces as special-purpose zones for a certain land use, such as residential, industrial, livestock farming, etc., the ministry will give preferential support to projects related to such zones. The ministry will additionally improve regulations on farmland. For instance, city mayors or heads of county governments will be granted extended authority to divert a maximum of 10 hectares of farmland inside rural special-purpose zones. In addition, a facility can be built on farmland inside a rural special-purpose zone in the case that the facility suits the purpose of the zone — e.g., community facilities such as welfare facilities, sport facilities, etc., in a rural village protection zone — and the application for such construction is submitted to and received by a local government. The process of such construction is streamlined when the requirement is limited to submission and receipt of such an application, not extended to include approval by a local government. The ministry will also provide opportunities for rural residents to participate actively in discovering challenges facing their communities, developing solutions to those challenges and identifying a project to creatively regenerate their rural communities. Through such engagement of rural residents, the ministry will create an environment where the needs and ideas of rural communities are well incorporated into rural place-making. To breathe new life into rural areas, the ministry will pursue legislative improvement in a speedy manner while focusing efforts on developing a rural regeneration model that is practical and can bring out tangible outcomes for local residents in close collaboration with local governments and related ministries. Rural South Korea, accounting for 89 percent of the national territory, is full of potential and possibilities. We are seeing a growing number of success stories where the value of rural areas is restored by local governments viewing rural areas as new resources and utilizing them in various ways. A case in point is the city of Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province. The city remodeled traditional Korean houses, or hanok, built in the 1790s, breweries and Japanese-style houses built during Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945) into guesthouses, cafes, stores for selling and buying local food and agricultural produce, etc. This rural regeneration is attracting approximately 120,000 visitors to Mungyeong per year, and the local specialities are contributing to revitalizing its local economy. So far, the local governments of 75 cities and counties have established rural place-making plans, and the ministry and the local governments signed agreements to provide financial support with approximately 1.88 trillion won for the projects in rural place-making plans. A brighter future for rural South Korea can be realized if local governments base their rural place-making plans on local resources and the ideas of local residents. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will keep up its efforts to remake rural areas into a valuable place where people can live, work and rest and thereby help rural areas act as a catalyst for resolving the national challenges of low birth rates and the declining population.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Shoppers face rising prices as hidden threat drives record-high fruit costs: 'Domestic production … will trend downward in the long run'
Intense shifts in global temperatures have led to heat waves and droughts, melting ice caps, and changes in precipitation patterns. It's no surprise, then, that agriculture has also suffered, the warming planet having notable effects on international trade. As one recent example, Yonhap News Agency, via The Statesman, reported that poor harvests in South Korea stemming from climate change have pushed the country to increase its fresh fruit imports. The cost of South Korea's imports of 12 types of fresh fruit rose by a shocking 20.1% from 2023 to 2024, for a total cost of $1.45 billion USD. Fruit imports to South Korea have reportedly never seen a price tag so steep, but as rising global temperatures lead to produce shortages, demands increase and, in turn, bills. The global fruit import value has an annual growth rate of 1.92%. Total imports of fresh and frozen fruits in South Korea are predicted to increase to 817,000 tons this year. "Imports of fruits are projected to rise further, as domestic production of fruits will trend downward in the long run given weather conditions and the constant fall in their cultivation area," an official from the Korea Rural Economic Institute told Yonhap (The Statesman). Per the United States Environmental Protection Agency, "more than half the nation's land is used for agricultural production." But as weather, water, and natural resources are affected by rising temperatures, quality crop yields can plummet. Fruits like bananas and oranges have seen significant declines in global production due to failed seasons and poor harvests. This hikes up prices on imports, with costs passed onto the consumer. The South Korean government has lowered tariffs on fruit imports to slow inflation rates, and they are not alone. According to a 2015 policy brief from the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research, other governments have taken steps to moderate food prices too, "through export restrictions, reduced import tariffs, removal of valueadded tax on food, and release of grain stock" as well as "compensating select groups of consumers" through various initiatives. Do you worry about how much food you throw away? Definitely Sometimes Not really Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. In the U.S., the Department of Agriculture's Environmental Quality Incentives Program exists to provide assistance to agricultural producers in response to natural resource concerns. The USDA Climate Hubs also connect agricultural professionals with resources to help them adapt to impacts in their areas. Meanwhile, consumers can take action at home to help lower their own grocery bills. Purchasing local produce, meal planning prior to shopping, and reducing food waste can make a real difference. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Korea Herald
03-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
South Koreans consumed 30kg of pork per person in 2024
The average South Korean consumed an estimated 30 kilograms of pork last year, according to data released Monday. South Korea's livestock cooperative designated March 3 as Samgyeopsal Day — the date referring to the three layers of fat that give the cut its name — to promote sales of pork belly, with local retailers often running special discounts. According to data from the Korea Rural Economic Institute, last year's per capita pork consumption marked a 6.8 percent increase from the five-year average of 28.1 kilograms and a 1.4 percent rise from 2023's 29.6 kilograms. The five-year average excludes the highest and lowest figures from the 2019-2023 period. Pork consumption was nearly double that of chicken (15.2 kilograms) and beef (14.9 kilograms). Koreans' preference for pork was also reflected in a consumer survey conducted by KREI last December, which found that 63.2 percent of respondents chose pork as their preferred meat, followed by beef (21.1 percent), chicken (14.7 percent) and duck (1.0 percent). Among pork cuts, samgyeopsal, or pork belly, was the most favored, with 60 percent of respondents selecting it as their top choice. Meanwhile, wholesale pork prices are forecast to range between 5,100 and 5,300 won ($3.49-$3.63) per kilogram this year, close to last year's average of 5,239 won per kilogram.
