This is the first of a three-part series highlighting the recent trend that many Koreans become farmers or ranchers. The series is supported by the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. ― ED.
By Kim Tae-gyu
As far as where to reside is concerned, the effect of Korea’s fast industrialization might boil down to one basic statement of ``city life good, rural life bad,’’ to adapt the Orwellian expression ``four legs good, two legs bad.’’
That might have been the case in the last century but a new trend is emerging in this one. A growing number of city dwellers are giving up their jobs in bursting city centers to head for farms across the country.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) said Monday that an all time-high of around 6,500 households moved from cities to rural areas last year.
The figure was merely 880 households in 2001 but has been on a constant rise to 1,240 in 2005 and 4,067 in 2010 before topping the 6,000 mark last year for the first time in history.
``The general belief is that only retirees in their 60s or 70s return to farms because they cannot find work in cities any more or they want to live their last days in their hometowns,’’ MIFAFF Director Kim Jong-gu said.
``That might have been true in the 1990s. In recent years, however, a vast majority of them are 30- or 40-somethings and the trend is expected to accelerate in the future.’’
According to data compiled by MIFAFF, around 40 percent of the ``new farmers’’ coming from cities were aged 40 or under as of the end of 2010 and 70 percent of them were younger than 50.
``In the past, our farms and ranches were remembered as places where just a few senior citizens lived. But the influx of former city residents is breathing new life into the areas,’’ Kim said.
``As a result, rural economies are showing solid signs of reviving. In the future, more and more farmers and livestock raisers will hit the jackpot and the possibility has already been seen.’’
MIFAFF unveiled in its 2011 survey earlier this month that a total of 15,959 farmers chalked up revenue of more than 100 million won (around $90,000) each last year, up 14 percent from 2009.
A total of 164 saw annual sales of more than 1 billion won.
The figure is still just a small fraction of the total rural households amounting to approximately 3 million but it continues to rise.
``We confirmed an increase last year despite some economic jitters. We expect that the number will surpass 20,000 in the not-so-distant future,’’ another MIFAFF official said.
Kim points out that a Blue Ocean lies in farms and ranches rather than big cities in an era when, unlike the past, many consumers put the quality of foodstuffs first rather than quantity.
The Blue Ocean strategy refers to one that any organization can reap great profits by creating new demand in an uncontested market rather than seeking thin margins in a Red Ocean where a host of rivals compete head-to-head.
``Ever since the Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries was set up in the late 1990s, it has seen 2,558 graduates,’’ Kim said.
``Their average annual income was 65 million won last year, double the overall average of 32 million won in rural areas.’’
Kim said that the Blue Ocean strategy will find many cash streams in the distribution of farm produce rather than cultivating them.
``Some people restrict the scope of farming or ranching to just a primary industry of producing goods. But farmers and ranchers can do more than that, like wholesale or retail,’’ he said.
``We are required to regard farming or ranching as secondary or tertiary industries to see drastic additional value creation. Then, more people will head to villages from the cities.’’