Sangha Farm pioneering in experiential tourism

Scenery around Sangha Farm / Courtesy of Sangha Farm

By Yun Suh-young

GOCHANG, North Jeolla Province ― A three-and-a-half-hour drive south of Seoul, there is a farm measuring 30,000 pyeong (24.5 acres) which holds fields, livestock, restaurants, factories, educational facilities and soon a spa and hotel.

Sangha Farm (www.sanghafarm.co.kr) is designed much like an agriculture theme park in terms of the variety of activities to enjoy ― although from a glance, it just looks like a very large farm.

Sangha Farm is Korea’s first farm to operate as an example of "senary industry," or sixth-level industry, which combines primary, secondary and tertiary industries of farming, production and services (1+2+3=6). The concept has existed for years although the terminology is relatively new. A Japanese professor coined the term and it was first used by Moku Moku Farm in Japan. In fact, Sangha Farm was modeled after Moku Moku Farm.

View of Sangha Farm

Opened this April, Sangha Farm is the result of eight years of preparation. It took teamwork between the government and a private company, Maeil Dairies Co. Ltd, to build the facility which could be representative of the senary industry (as it is actively encouraged by the government), which could add value to local farm products. At the farm, visitors can experience farm activities, watch how produce from the farm is manufactured into products and sold at the market and engage in various activities such as making bread or sausage with ingredients grown at the farm.

"When people think of farms, they think of a dirty environment and difficult working conditions. People living in cities don't really know about farms or rural areas and simply think of them as a 'healing' place as seen on TV. We wanted to change that perception and introduce the role and potential of farms so parents can educate their children," said Willy Yoon, manager of the Business Planning Team at Sangha Farm. He himself is a Seoulite who was dispatched from Maeil Dairies headquarters in Seoul to help found the farm. His family still lives in Seoul.

Children experience farming at Sangha Farm

"Farming is a dwindling industry, even more so as we import so many products from overseas. In such times, the way to build our competitiveness is to add value to our products, rather than just producing them. We need to boost consumption of local products by adding value. We can educate people on how food is produced, what the ingredients are and why local food is healthy. We can offer programs for the fun of cooking and an understanding of the food-making process."

It is through persistent communication between farm employees and visitors that results in a holistic understanding of food. This sort of interactive tourism is also educational for children.

"Many children today suffer from attention deficit disorders or are psychologically unstable. Engaging in physical activities such as farming or interacting with animals can help improve that. We have an animal farm where children can touch and feed the animals," said Yoon.

Children make bread at Sangha Farm

"As for food, we want to show parents how a good diet can affect children's psychological wellbeing."

The farm attracted 7,000 to 8,000 visitors monthly during May and June and the total number of visitors was around 20,000 as of July, despite low-key promotions.

"We didn't want to actively promote the farm through social media or advertise through media because that is not the value we seek,” said Scarlett Wie, manager of the Public Relations Team at the farm. “We want to carry sincerity and be known by word of mouth. People who appreciate the value of the farm will introduce it to others and that is how so many people came so far.”

By adding new value to farming and agriculture products, the farm is aimed to create an environment where producers and consumers coexist, dedicate resources to community growth and help revitalize the rural community as a whole.

Visitors feed pigs at the animal farm inside Sangha Farm

"There are so many farms that have tried to incorporate experiential tourism into their model as part of the senary industry, but only about 10 percent have succeeded. Moku Moku Farm, which we have crafted and received consultation since 2009, has gone through trial and error and survived throughout the years since opening in 1988," said Yoon.

"In Korea, the government has repeatedly tried to create a successful example of the senary industry, but its failures are numerous. We can definitely say that we are the only farm in Korea to operate exactly under such concept, incorporating primary, secondary and tertiary industries in a balanced manner. Smaller farms that operate similarly tend to lean to one particular area ― either too much on production or too much on tourism."

At Sangha Farm, the herbs and vegetables that have been reaped in the fields are used for cooking at the restaurant, fruits grown there are used to produce jam at the in-house factory and the milk produced at the dairy farm is sold at the market and also used as an ingredient for the baking class. One industry is tightly interlinked to another industry.

Another interesting characteristic about the farm is that employee satisfaction is extremely high, despite the intensity and amount of work. The staff boasts of excellent cooperation and flexible imposition of roles when others are busy. Because the farm lacks personnel, some back office employees often come out to serve and wash dishes.

"The family-like atmosphere and friendliness here is what I most like about working here," said Seo Ji-hyun, a member of the farm’s service planning team, who is originally from Seoul. “I even plan to move down here and live here after getting married. It's a simple life but I can feel that I'm becoming healthy by exercising and eating good food. And the stress is completely different from the coercive environment of Seoul.”

Plans are in motion to open a hotel and spa next year. At the moment, visitors may face some difficulty finding a place to stay because of the farm’s remote location.

"At the moment, our visitors are mainly from nearby cities of Gwangju, Jeonju and Daejeon. We plan to continue to attract this demographic because it's important for locals here to make use of the farm. It's a bit hard for Seoul residents to come here because we have no accommodation to offer yet," said Yoon.

The concept of the small, 30-room hotel will be a "resting place for laborers."

"It's in line with our concept. The whole point is to experience being a farmer, so all of our facilities carry a consistent message. The spa will be something similar to a Japanese ryokan bathhouse, assimilated with nature."