Installation of 'Worker Dormitories and Heat Relief Shelters' Becomes Possible in Agricultural Promotion Areas

Prior Notice of Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Farmland Act
Easing Area Restrictions on Agricultural and Marine Product Processing Facilities

It will now be possible to install worker accommodations and heatwave/cold wave shelters, which were previously not allowed in agricultural promotion areas, and restrictions on the area of agricultural and marine product processing facilities will also be eased.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 7th that it will give prior notice of the amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Farmland Act, which relaxes farmland regulations by expanding permitted facilities and areas within agricultural promotion areas (April 8 to May 19).

First, worker accommodations and heatwave/cold wave shelters will be added to the permitted facilities within agricultural promotion areas, and area restrictions on agricultural and marine product processing facilities will be eased.

In response to demands for employment stability and improvement of living environments on site, the system was improved last July to allow agricultural houses within agricultural promotion areas to be used as worker accommodations. Additionally, worker accommodations can now be installed up to 20% of the facility area within the site of agricultural and marine product processing facilities or mountain distribution facilities.

Furthermore, to prepare for natural disasters such as heatwaves and cold waves, heatwave/cold wave shelters can now be installed in agricultural promotion areas to enable farmers to carry out safe farming activities.

Restrictions on the installation area of agricultural and marine product processing facilities, tourist farms, and rural experience and recreation villages will also be eased. Accordingly, agricultural and marine product processing facilities and tourist farms can be installed on sites less than 3 hectares, and rural experience and recreation villages on sites less than 2 hectares.

Rural specialized zones will be added to areas and districts where farmland conversion authority is delegated to local governments, such as public housing districts and urban development zones. According to the Rural Spatial Restructuring Act, rural specialized zones are designated areas for the efficient development, use, and conservation of rural spaces or for regenerating and enhancing rural functions as living, working, and resting places. With this amendment to the enforcement decree, local governments’ autonomy in farmland conversion for necessary facilities and locations within these zones will be expanded, which the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs expects will contribute to population decline mitigation and regional revitalization.

Along with this, the amendment reduces the number of farmers required to form a group to participate in farmland utilization promotion projects, which allow exceptions such as farmland leasing and entrusted management, from 10 to 5. For agricultural corporations, it will be improved so that they can implement projects independently. Additionally, to manage information on designation, change, and cancellation of agricultural promotion areas in real time, it will be mandatory for city and provincial governors to provide data such as maps of agricultural promotion areas and land change surveys to the Korea Rural Community Corporation, which manages the agricultural promotion area system.

The amendment to the enforcement decree will collect opinions from stakeholders through prior notice until the 19th of next month and is scheduled to be implemented within the first half of the year.

Yun Won-seup, Director of Agricultural Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "With this amendment to the enforcement decree, we expect to strengthen agricultural industry competitiveness, improve farming environments in response to climate change, and systematically develop rural spaces." He added, "We will continue to push forward farmland regulation innovation at a rapid pace so that the public can feel the effects."