Yeongcheon City announced on July 10 that it has proactively responded to climate change by completing the foundation for research and dissemination of subtropical agriculture in inland areas.
Yeongcheon City established a subtropical smart farm complex on a 3.9-hectare site in the Banjeong-ri area of Buk-an-myeon, investing a total project cost of 14.8 billion KRW (5 billion KRW from the provincial government and 9.8 billion KRW from the city government).
Recently, the city completed the planting of 18 types of subtropical crops and is now actively conducting cultivation demonstration research. It also plans to select and distribute subtropical crops suitable for local conditions.
In addition, from April to November, the city is running a "Subtropical Crop Startup Education Program," which provides both theoretical knowledge of cultivation techniques and practical training on crops planted within the complex. This program has received a strong response from farmers interested in new income-generating crops.
Since 2021, the city has systematically trained specialized rural guidance officers focused on subtropical crop cultivation and environmental management. On July 1, it established a new Subtropical Research Team composed of these experts.
Through these efforts, the city has secured expertise that can be immediately applied to all areas, including cultivation, research, education, and consultation, which is the result of long-term preparation.
Given that many subtropical crops are perennial and require a long period until harvest, making it difficult to expand cultivation among local farmers, the city plans to establish and operate practice-oriented rental greenhouses that allow cultivation from young plants to mature trees, enabling harvests in the following year.
In addition, to reduce the financial burden of facility costs, the city will actively promote crop conversion using existing greenhouses and the development of open-field subtropical crops.
By systematically implementing stages such as cultivation demonstration and manual establishment (Phase 1), education and training (Phase 2), operation of practice-oriented rental greenhouses (Phase 3), and startup support (Phase 4), the city expects to establish itself as a differentiated, leading center for subtropical agriculture in Korea.
Choi Kimoon, Mayor of Yeongcheon, stated, "We are pursuing this project with a long-term vision to overcome the agricultural crisis, and we will play a key role in discovering new income-generating crops and leading the future of agriculture."
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