Jongno-gu Wins Seoul City Urban Agriculture Evaluation Award

Evaluation of Urban Agriculture Best Practices in 25 Districts... Following Last Year's Grand Prize, This Year’s Awardee Continues to Expand Urban Gardens, Distribute Box Gardens, and Operate Horticulture Programs to Promote Urban Agriculture... Urban Agriculture Support Center Opening in September, Small Garden Concert in October, etc.

'Small Garden Concert' held on October 31 at the Hyeuum Garden in Muak Hyundai

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jongno-gu (District Mayor Kim Young-jong) was awarded the grand prize in the '2020 Autonomous District Urban Agriculture Best Practices Evaluation' hosted by Seoul City, recognizing its contribution to the revitalization of urban agriculture.

The Urban Agriculture Best Practices Evaluation is conducted among Seoul's 25 autonomous districts, judging each category including ▲urban vegetable garden creation ▲urban vegetable garden management ▲other urban agriculture activities (education, events), and awarding prizes accordingly.

Since 2011, Jongno-gu has implemented various policies to enable residents to participate in urban agriculture, enjoy emotional stability, and share the joy of abundant harvests.

In particular, despite the lack of cultivation space in the city center, the district steadily expanded urban vegetable gardens by cleaning up spaces previously occupied by household waste and utilizing leftover spaces within residential complexes.

Additionally, box gardens were distributed and horticulture programs conducted so that any resident could easily experience urban agriculture in living spaces such as balconies.

This year, the creation of eye-level vegetable gardens tailored to residents' ages, characteristics, and environments received positive responses. For example, a barrier-free vegetable garden with a sloped entrance was created at Cheongun Nursing Home to ensure that elderly residents using wheelchairs could use it without inconvenience.

Attention is also drawn to the vegetable garden at Donghwa-sok Children’s Daycare, installed in a safe and fun form reflecting the curious nature of children. Vegetable garden boxes were arranged in a maze structure in a previously neglected empty space. The corners of the boxes were finished with curves to prevent safety accidents, and the boxes were made at a height suitable for children's stature, showing meticulous care.

Furthermore, to ensure sustainable management of vegetable gardens scattered throughout the region, vegetable garden managers were hired, and a book titled 'Jongno-gu Vegetable Gardens Guided by 2020 Vegetable Garden Managers' was published. These managers visit about 150 vegetable gardens in the area to check soil conditions and provide advice on pest control and crop planting.

In September of this year, the Urban Agriculture Support Center, a learning space for sharing knowledge and information about urban agriculture, was opened. It consists of an education room, communication and publicity office, and an outdoor practical experience site, and conducts related education in a non-face-to-face manner in response to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, on October 31, a small vegetable garden concert titled 'Sitting in the Vegetable Garden, Facing Each Other' was held to contribute to the activation of eco-friendly urban agriculture and to spread a culture of communication and sharing among residents. To practice social distancing in daily life, seats were arranged 2 meters apart, and an online live broadcast method was chosen to minimize infection spread, aiming to comfort residents exhausted by COVID-19 with music.

District Mayor Kim Young-jong said, “I am very pleased that our efforts to revitalize urban agriculture have borne fruit with this grand prize award,” and added, “We will continue to support so that all residents can enjoy emotional stability and share the joy of abundant harvests through urban agriculture.”