Urban retirees bring change to agro business

Kim Sang-kwan, left, a retiree-turned-soybean producer, and his wife Kim Jung-hee during an interview in their garden in Gochang, North Jeolla Province on Sept. 30. / Korea Times

By Kang Hyun-kyung

GOCHANG, North Jeolla Province — Seven years ago, Kim Sang-kwan was a retiree seeking a second career in the agricultural business. After 25 years working as a human resources manager in Gumi City, he returned to his hometown where he tried to find ways to make healthier, safer soybean paste.

After years of research, Kim, 57, finally created a 132-square-meter underground fermentation lab near the front gate of his house in Sangha-myeon, Gochang. The storage room is made with clay, which helps curb bacteria growth in the soybean paste, improving the paste’s odor, taste and health benefits.

A eureka moment came when Kim discovered a thin white film of hay bacillus on top of the soybean paste that he had stored in a jar for a month. That specific type of bacteria, it turned out, helps prevent the growth of other unfavorable bacteria.

“The underground lab demonstrates a synergy between modern science and traditional soybean-making techniques,” Kim told The Korea Times.

The garden of the Kim couple has dozens of clay jars that have fermented fruits and plants they have raised on their 16,500-square-meter property. / Korea Times

He said global warming makes fermentation problematic because the moisture caused by the rising temperature makes soybean paste, an important ingredient in Korean cuisine, vulnerable to bacteria.

“People think soybean paste that is fermented in clay jars outdoors is safe and healthy,” he said. “While that was true in the past, it is no longer so today because of the rising temperatures.”

Kim said global warming also affects the taste and quality of fermented ingredients, which has prompted producers like him to come up with innovative techniques.

He built up his knowledge about fermentation by taking related courses at several universities in North Jeolla Province for four years and joining plenty of field trips to farmlands producing organic ingredients.

Kim Han-sung, right, president of a volunteer group called the Gochang Return to Farming and Home Conference, talks with urban retirees at the group’s office in Gochang, North Jeolla Province. / Korea Times

Kim’s premium soybean paste went on sale last year. Its price, 10,000 won ($10) for 450 grams, is double that of average soybean paste in retail stores.

Kim created a website on which he could sell his soybean paste and other organic products directly to consumers who are willing to pay more for healthy products. When it comes to online marketing, he said he still has a long way to go because he is not familiar with social media and other related technology.

At the moment, the income from his organic soybean paste is not enough to make ends meet, but he is optimistic about his agro business because he believes consumption of organic and premium products will continue to grow.

Until his hope becomes reality, he said he gives lectures and runs a “home stay” business to earn extra income for his and his wife’s living expenses and for his continued research on useful and healthy agro products. The Kims opened their new clay house and a campsite near the house to travelers. Accommodation at the house includes breakfast. The house, fermentation lab and campsite are all within Kim’s 16,500-square-meter property.

Kim Sang-kwan created a 132-square-meter underground fermentation lab near his house to produce organic soybean paste. / Korea Times

Born and raised in Gochang, Kim moved to the industrial city of Gumi for a white-collar job after graduating from school. He worked for a couple of manufacturing companies in the city’s industrial complex.

Like Kim, many retiring urbanites are turning to the agro business. The tough economy has shortened the tenure of white-collar workers. In addition, the aging population has increased the number of retirees seeking a second career.

The urban-rural migration has become evident since 2010. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, about 4,000 urban households moved to rural areas in 2010. The number rose to 44,000 last year and is expected to go up to nearly 50,000 this year.

Many of these migrants are retirees aged 45 to 60 from a variety of career backgrounds and who have become first-time farmers to fund their retirement.

Gochang has become a popular destination for the aspiring farmers.

Every year, more than 1,600 retirees from the city come to Gochang to seek jobs in the agriculture or agro business. About 15 percent of the area’s 60,000 people are urban retirees-turned-farmers.

There are many factors behind the influx of the new population. Real estate is relatively affordable, and the rich soil makes it easier for farmers to grow high-quality produce such as sweet potatoes, watermelons and raspberries.

Urban-rural migration

Agricultural mentors are another benefit of living in Gochang. Kim Han-sung, president of a volunteer group called the Gochang Return to Farming and Home Conference, said hundreds of urban retirees-turned-farmers are willing to share their time, experience and know-how with other aspiring farmers, and the resulting supportive and healthy relationships helped make the city a popular destination for retirees.

In turn, the influx of new settlers revitalized the aging rural city. Rural areas have been hit hardest by shrinking and aging populations, caused in part by the migration of young people to urban areas to attend universities. Rural areas are occupied mostly by old farmers who have lived there most of their lives.

The migration of urban retirees to rural areas started just as farmlands were losing their vitality. In contrast to the decreasing birthrates in cities and counties throughout the country, Gochang’s population has grown in the past few years because of the urban-rural migration.

The urban retirees brought new marketing ideas and techniques to the farmlands.

Yoo Sang-oh, director of the nonprofit Korea Rural-Urban Convergence Institute, which was established in 2013 to help aspiring farmers adjust smoothly to rural life, said the urban-rural migration has transformed the agricultural sector.

Younger, innovative farmers who are familiar with the Internet and social media changed the agro business. Many of them have created online shopping malls or websites through which they sell their products directly to consumers.

In addition, Yoo said, they have helped rural areas become more sophisticated and diversified. Urban retirees introduced new crops and healthy products to cater to the changing consumption patterns of urban consumers, he said.

“The urban-rural migration is advantageous in that it creates jobs for retirees in the agricultural sector, which helps cut the rising demand for social welfare services,” he said.

The nation’s rural areas first underwent a facelift in the 1970s after the government launched the New Village Movement, better known as the Saemaul Undong, to modernize the poverty-stricken agriculture sector and improve the lives of farmers.

Five decades later, a second wave of changes is occurring. Unlike the first wave of agricultural sector reform, which was led by the government, the current changes are led by urban retirees who are seeking second careers on farmlands.