Gyeonggi-do and 7 Cities and Counties Including Yongin to Establish 'Eco-Friendly Rice Integrated Ecological Agriculture Practice Complex'

Gyeonggi Provincial Government Gwanggyo New Office Building

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will establish eco-friendly rice complex ecological farming practice sites in 19 producer organizations across 7 cities and counties this year to realize sustainable agriculture such as carbon neutrality by expanding the cultivation area of eco-friendly organic farming within the province.

The expansion of eco-friendly organic farming cultivation area is a key agricultural pledge of the 8th term of Gyeonggi Province’s civilian government and is a newly discovered project to respond to the rapid decline in eco-friendly organic farming.

The focus is on realizing sustainable agriculture reflecting the public value of agriculture, the health of future generations, and the restoration of biodiversity in ecosystems.

The project targets 19 eco-friendly rice producer organizations in 7 cities and counties including Yongin, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, Gimpo, Yangju, Pocheon, and Yeoncheon, with a project area of 771 hectares. Among these, 102 hectares are newly cultivated areas where eco-friendly rice was not previously produced.

The province will invest 3.5 billion KRW to support the 19 organizations with ▲ inheritance of traditional cropping systems such as eco-friendly rice seeds, seedling cultivation, and improved water channels ▲ recycling and reuse of agricultural by-products such as organic fertilizer, biochar, and eco-friendly pesticides ▲ soil nutrient and environmental management including eco-friendly soil, golden apple snails, soil microorganisms, and paddy field embankment weeding ▲ restoration of biodiversity through the creation of paddy field ponds and purchase of aquatic organisms (water beetles, catfish, shrimp, etc.) ▲ income compensation for eco-friendly cultivation.

In particular, each city and county producer organization will create ponds (temporary water reservoirs) to pilot complex ecological farming by raising rice together with freshwater fish such as catfish and large freshwater shrimp. Through this, they plan to utilize the sites as agricultural education venues by inviting students and residents to experience fish stocking, feeding, fishing, cooking, rice seed sowing, rice transplanting, and harvesting.