Gyeonggi Province is conducting the nation's first pilot project for healing agriculture services targeting individuals with developmental and mental disabilities.
Gyeonggi Province is piloting the 'Healing Agriculture Service,' a social service program that provides emotional and physical stability for people with developmental and mental disabilities through healing farm programs in four regions: Gimpo, Icheon, Yangju, and Yangpyeong.
The Healing Agriculture Service is a project that helps individuals aged 10 and older with developmental and mental disabilities achieve mental and physical stability through healing activities using farms and nature, guided by healing agriculture experts. This is the first project nationwide to regularly combine social services with agriculture, rather than offering one-time experiences.
This year's project is being promoted in cooperation between Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research and Extension Services.
The main projects by region include ▲ Mulgoji Tourist Farm (animals, etc.) in Gimpo ▲ Pollybok Tourist Farm (jujubes, etc.) in Icheon ▲ Wonhak Farm (herbs and flower tea) in Yangju ▲ Kkotdeul Nature Farm (horticulture, etc.) in Yangpyeong.
The province will recruit about 20 participants per region and operate the program until the end of the year.
Kim Neung-sik, Director of the Welfare Bureau of the province, stated, "With the development of the Healing Agriculture Service, a Gyeonggi Province-type social service model suited to the characteristics of Gyeonggi, where urban and rural areas coexist, has been established. We hope that users will participate in the healing agriculture program year-round to achieve mental and physical stability, and that community services will be revitalized in rural and urban-rural complex cities."
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