"Breathing New Life into Agriculture"... Uljin-gun's Full Effort for Agricultural Transformation

‘Deulnyeokteukgu’ Uljin Agriculture Major Transformation Innovation Model Proposed

Accelerating the Establishment of Smart Farm Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation Complex

Nongjajicheonhadaebonya (農者之天下大本也).

This means that farmers are the foundation of the world. However, currently, rural areas are facing difficulties in agricultural production due to a declining workforce caused by low birth rates and aging populations, as well as challenges in crop cultivation due to climate change.

Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, is conducting an agricultural transformation project to improve the existing agricultural structure and enable agriculture, which is the backbone of the local industry, to overcome difficulties and develop into a profitable sector, ensuring stable livelihoods for farmers.

▲ Presenting Uljin Agriculture Transformation Innovation Model through the ‘Field Special Zone’

As part of Uljin’s agricultural transformation, the county has been implementing the ‘Field Special Zone’ project from 2023 through this year as an innovative model that breaks away from traditional agricultural methods.

The ‘Field Special Zone’ project aims to establish a double-cropping joint farming production complex. A total of KRW 2.2 billion has been invested in 140 hectares of joint farming plots to purchase crop cultivation and harvesting machinery, install summer crop sorting and packaging facilities, and forage hot air drying facilities, which are currently in operation.

In particular, this project is led by farmers themselves, with about 180 households jointly farming under the ‘Happy Rural Creation Agricultural Cooperative Corporation.’ They are promoting double-cropping cultivation by planting forage (IRG) and wheat in winter and soybeans and fine rice in summer on fields previously used for single-cropping rice farming.

In June, a demonstration event for winter crop harvesting and summer crop sowing and direct seeding was held. Approximately 230 tons of winter crops (forage and wheat) were produced and sold entirely, and summer crops such as soybeans, fine rice, and regular rice were sown and transplanted.

Currently, rice is being harvested, and after harvesting soybeans around late October to early November, winter crops such as forage and wheat will be sown again. A performance report meeting is planned for mid-November to promote the progress and achievements of the project.

Through this project, about 450 tons of summer crops are expected to be produced, and combined income with winter crops is anticipated to reach 150% compared to single rice cropping.

▲ Creating New Income Opportunities with Smart Farm Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation Complex

Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation Complex Construction. (Geunnam Complex)

Along with improving the agricultural structure through the Field Special Zone project, Uljin-gun is also striving to create new income opportunities for farmers.

To this end, shiitake mushrooms are being developed as a specialized crop to continue the region’s reputation as the nation’s top pine mushroom production area. A smart farm shiitake mushroom cultivation complex is being established to create rural jobs and increase income for local farmers.

The county plans to become a hub for shiitake mushrooms by expanding distribution networks through labor reduction, year-round shipment, and high-quality mass production.

This project is a multi-year initiative from 2023 to 2026 with a total budget of approximately KRW 6.05 billion, aiming to establish a total of 50 shiitake mushroom cultivation houses in Uljin.

In the first year, 2023, KRW 2.45 billion was invested to build 20 rental-type shiitake mushroom cultivation houses (about 194㎡ each). From 2024, as a private subsidy project, KRW 3.6 billion will be invested to construct 30 additional cultivation houses.

Uljin-gun is currently implementing 20 subsidy-supported houses this year. The 20 rental-type cultivation houses built in the first year (16 in Geunnam-myeon, 2 in Maehwa-myeon, and 2 in Pyeonghae-eup) were completed in October last year and January this year, respectively, and are currently leased to 10 teams of local youth and farmers.

From November last year to September this year, about 70 tons of shiitake mushrooms were produced in the smart farm cultivation complex, generating approximately KRW 440 million in farm income. The produced shiitake mushrooms are sold through local Hanaro Mart, DY Food, wholesale markets, and direct transactions.

Uljin-gun is continuing efforts to secure effective sales channels alongside production.

To this end, by obtaining eco-friendly certification for shiitake mushrooms, the county is expanding direct transactions such as school meal supply, contract farming, and self-sales to minimize shipments to wholesale markets. It is also working on establishing a joint distribution system for quality standardization and adjusting mushroom shipment volumes by season to ensure stable production.

In particular, continuous education is provided to improve expertise, including on-site training and operating a shiitake mushroom class at the Green Agriculture University. Research and guidance are conducted to produce higher quality and larger quantities of shiitake mushrooms by differentiating the composition of mushroom substrates.

Additionally, to compensate for the poor storability of shiitake mushrooms and develop differentiated food products, efforts are focused on developing unique processed products (such as Cheat Key, Bugak, Gangjeong, Danja, etc.) linked to desserts.

County Governor Son Byung-bok said, “We will strive to stabilize and increase farm income through the Field Special Zone project to improve the existing agricultural structure and the smart farm shiitake mushroom cultivation complex for new income generation.” He added, “Going forward, we will create a profitable agricultural environment through scaling up, advancing, and mechanizing agriculture and achieve a major transformation in agriculture.”