1. Research Purpose and Methods

□ Research purpose

￮ Rural regions in Jeonbuk are facing a crisis caused by rapid ageing, a shortage of next-generation farmers, and an increase in absentee landlords, as well as idle and fallow farmland, leading to a need for innovative measures that will allow for sustainable farming and efficient use of farmlands. 

￮ Focusing on the evolution of farming from that of the "rural village", where the approach to organizing agricultural production can be called “village farming”, this study aims to develop a pilot project to integrally respond to issues concerning agricultural land use, agricultural management, labor shortages, and the community.

□ Research Methods

￮ This study discusses the content and cases of previous studies conducted at home and abroad relating to village farming, and provides detailed policy options to support policy planning for the village-based collective farming pilot project in Jeonbuk State.

2. Conclusion and Policy Recommendations

□ Concept of the “village-level agricultural management unit” for village-based collective farming in Jeonbuk State:

￮ Rather than increasing farmland concentration or fostering the involvement of corporations, the "village-level agricultural management unit” for village-based collective farming in Jeonbuk State refers to a socially innovative agricultural policy model for maintaining the agricultural production base and sustaining rural communities that is complementary to policy measures encompassing the social realm of rural villages as well as the issue of aging farmers, both of which the government's joint farming policy failed to recognize.

￮ Purpose: ① To investigate and analyze agricultural lands at the village level before establishing an integrated use plan, covering leased farming, contract farming, and self-farming; ② to offer an integrated system covering management of crops, purchase of agricultural supplies, and agricultural work, as well as shipment and sales based on individual farms; ③ to connect to aspects of everyday life, such as community maintenance, job creation, caregiving, and meal catering, beyond the production-centered organization; and, ④ based on these characteristics, to operate the agricultural management unit as a quasi-public organization in a "separate and joint"’ manner.

□ Detail on the “village-level agricultural management unit” for village-based collective farming in Jeonbuk State:

￮ Integrative agricultural management structure: The management entity aims to achieve management integration while maintaining the autonomy of individual farms and agricultural produce sales by providing an integrated operation encompassing cultivation planning, materials purchasing, and agricultural work, creating a model centered on coordination and connection, rather than the existing corporation-centered farming

￮ Balance between economic feasibility and social benefits: This system will provide an integrated management system that aims to enhance productivity and sales capability through cost reduction, increased yield, connected organizations for integrated marketing, and job creation for agricultural work, while also performing social welfare functions, such as community meal catering and caregiving.

￮ Basic unit for realizing lifelong farming: This system will allow rural village residents and farmers to participate in its operation in various ways, including management involvement, agricultural work, and shared rental income. By ensuring elderly farmers` manageable participation in agricultural work and their receipt of agricultural land rental incomes, it will prevent the loss of earnings and social relationships that would likely arise from their abandonment of farming.

￮ Democratic and voluntary system: This system will be operated in a cooperative manner, reflecting decision-making based on the principle of voluntary participation and consensus, everyday operation centered on discussion, consultation, and agreement, and giving back to the community through the principle of profit sharing.

￮ Need for incorporation: Seeking incorporation at a certain stage for stable operation, the management entity is considered to have advantages in supporting the administration requirements of policy projects, stability of leased and contract farming, transparency of accounting, and settlement and fund execution, as well as tax benefits and value-added tax refunds, and as such seeks incorporation at a certain stage for stable operation. 

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