Bringing 'Invisible Labor' to the Forefront of Policy... Uiseong County Invests 570 Million Won in Female Farmers

Comprehensive Life-Cycle Support
Enhancing Practical Impact Across Health, Childbirth, Income, and the Farming Environment

Uiseong County will invest a total of 570 million won this year in six projects dedicated to improving the quality of life for female farmers and supporting their stable farming activities.

The county’s policy focus is on delivering practical, tangible results in rural areas through a comprehensive, customized support system that covers health management, childbirth and childcare, income stability, farming convenience, and community welfare.

Uiseong County Office. Photo by Kwon Byunggeon

This initiative aims to reduce the structural burdens faced by female farmers and establish a sustainable agricultural foundation. The six project areas are: ▲increasing farm income for marriage immigrant households, ▲providing convenient farming equipment for female farmers, ▲issuing happiness vouchers for female farmers, ▲supporting farm helpers for households with childbirth, ▲establishing communal meal facilities in rural villages, and ▲offering specialized health checkups for female farmers. Uiseong County expects that by linking these individual projects, it can achieve more systematic policy outcomes that go beyond fragmented support.

In particular, the specialized health checkup support project for female farmers is drawing attention as a core initiative with high on-site demand. It provides early screening for pesticide poisoning and fracture risk, as well as examinations for musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and pulmonary diseases as standard. Additional support is available for spinal CT scans or gynecological checkups, enabling early detection and management of occupational diseases. This is expected to provide substantial help in addressing health blind spots for female farmers who are exposed to long working hours and repetitive tasks.

The farm helper support project for households with childbirth is designed to minimize labor shortages caused by childbirth and childcare, thereby ensuring continuity in farming operations. The farming equipment support project aims to reduce the workload for elderly female farmers, contributing both to accident prevention and to improvements in the working environment.

Additionally, the happiness voucher program will expand access to cultural and leisure activities, enhancing life satisfaction and contributing to improved living conditions in rural areas. Support for communal meal facilities in rural villages will strengthen care and community welfare functions at the village level.

Eligible applicants are female farmers who reside in the county and are actively engaged in farming. Applications and further details can be obtained at the local town or township offices according to the specific requirements of each project.

Kim Jusu, Governor of Uiseong County, stated, "Female farmers are the key players in local agriculture, shouldering both production and household responsibilities in rural communities. We will continue to expand support that can be truly felt in areas such as health, childbirth, income, welfare, and the overall farming environment, so that female farmers can devote themselves to agriculture in a safer and more stable manner."

The labor of female farmers has long remained on the periphery of statistics and policy. Uiseong County’s comprehensive support across the entire life cycle is an effort to bring this ‘invisible labor’ to the center of administrative attention, and is expected to serve as a barometer for the sustainability of rural communities.