Yongin Gosaedong Citizen Farm Expanded 4 Times... Recruiting 800 Citizen Farmer Teams

Overview of Gongsedong Citizen Farm

[Asia Economy (Yongin) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province is expanding the Gongse-dong Citizen Farm by four times and recruiting 800 additional citizen farmer teams for allotment.

The Gongse-dong Citizen Farm is a garden where citizens can directly cultivate and harvest food, with one plot allocated per individual (14㎡) and group (42㎡). So far, Yongin City has operated citizen farms in two locations: Mapyeong-dong, Cheoin-gu (7,195㎡) and Gongse-dong (8,389㎡). As the competition rate for allotment increased from 6:1 in 2020 to 9:1 in 2021 and 11:1 last year, the Gongse-dong Citizen Farm was expanded nearly fourfold to 40,000㎡ this year.

The newly added area is land near the Giheung Reservoir managed by the Korea Rural Community Corporation. This year, the Gongse-dong Citizen Farm will be allotted as 770 individual plots with an annual usage fee of 10,000 KRW and 30 group plots with an annual usage fee of 30,000 KRW.

Among the individual plots, 40 plots will be preferentially allotted to persons with disabilities, multicultural families, and families with three or more children. Any household head or group with an address in Yongin City can apply for the citizen farm allotment.

Applicants can apply online through the Yongin Integrated Reservation System from the 13th to the 17th of next month or visit the Gongse-dong Citizen Farm in person to apply.

Yongin City will select allotment recipients in March through a random draw and announce the results on the Yongin Agricultural Technology Center website. Allottees must complete preliminary education and submit a compliance agreement before using the garden plots from April through the end of November.

A city official stated, "Interest in urban gardens among citizens has increased, leading us to expand the Gongse-dong Citizen Farm fivefold. We will continue to expand infrastructure so that more citizens can experience urban agriculture."