{"id":19423,"date":"2021-11-09T11:03:45","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T03:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=19423"},"modified":"2021-11-16T11:01:13","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T03:01:13","slug":"millennials-return-to-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2021\/11\/millennials-return-to-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"Millennials Return to Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More young people in South Korea develop a career in farming recently.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Chaelim Kim<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim Young-jin, 27, has been running a blueberry farm for four years after graduating from the Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries (KNCAF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy father saw possibilities in farming and suggested I study agriculture at university,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More young people develop a career in farming in South Korea. The number of young farmers under 30 increased by 12.7 per cent over the past year, according to The National Statistical Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of them is Kim who specialised in mushroom production in his study. \u201cMushrooms were sold at a very low price when I graduated in 2016, so I decided to grow something else,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He plants blueberries in his 4600-square-metre land because the land is steep, and it can grow limited crops. Blueberry is also a popular fruit in Korea these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kim Young-jin feels happy when his customers and friends enjoy his blueberries. (Photo courtesy of Kim Young-jin)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hardest part about starting my farm was securing starting fund. Being a newcomer in the rural area, without knowing anyone, was tough too,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim applied for a government subsidy in 2016 under the \u2018Youth Farmer Fostering Policy,\u2019 a scheme that aims to help farmers aged between 20 and 40.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe scheme subsidises a farmer for three years. A farmer can get a monthly support fund of 1,000,000 won (US $1,000) in the first year, 900,000 won (US $900) in the second year, and 800,000 won (US $800) in the third year,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou cannot survive just by growing crops unless you are rich enough to hire employees,\u201d he says. Kim starts his day at 5:30 a.m. and does everything from growing to harvesting by himself. He is also the marketing officer. \u201cFarming is not as simple as it seems. You need to have different skills to make it happen,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFarming is not as simple as it seems. You need to have different skills to make it happen.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Kim reminds future farmers to make as many visits as possible to farming communities beforehand. \u201cLearn from experienced farmers and make very specific plans,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there are young farmers like Kim who want to start their own farming business, there are also young farmers who just want to be self-sufficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baik Ji-hyeon and Kim Chan-mi are young part-time farmers in their early 20s. Baik is a university student majoring in history. Kim is a stored-food shop owner who sells different kinds of pesto and pickled food. They are members of Pusil, a group of 10 young farmers practising sustainable farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kim Chan-mi\u2019s Lotus Root Store opened on 28, August, 2021 in Incheon, a city which is 25 kilometres from her farm. (Photo courtsey of Kim Chan-mi)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started farming in 2020 because I realised that my freedom is actually a product of exploiting others. I just want to grow enough food for myself,\u201d Baik says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baik\u2019s farming partner Kim Chan-mi learned about agriculture when she was a chef. \u201cI love nature and cooking with my own produce. I wanted to farm since I was young,\u201d Kim Chan-mi says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No chemical fertiliser nor machinery is used in Pusil farm. \u201cMy work follows my belief. But sometimes I think modern technology can make the work easier,\u201d Kim Chan-mi says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to clear weeds with our hands. It takes time and efforts to farm sustainably,\u201d Baik says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to clear weeds with our hands. It takes time and efforts to farm sustainably.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kim Chan-mi harvests sesame in Pusil farm. In Pusil, farmer practises sustainable farming. (Photo courtesy of Kim Chan-mi)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Their hardship pays off when people enjoy their produce. \u201cWhen my friends smile eating my produce\u2014that is the happiest moment of farming,\u201d Baik says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim Chan-mi feels the same way when she cooks with her produce. \u201cBeing able to say \u2018This is made out of my crops\u2019 is a big joy,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Han Ok-gyu, a professor in the Department of Food Crops at KNCAF, says government subsidy and keen competition in cities are the two main reasons why young people join farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe government introduced various measures to encourage more young people to settle in the ageing rural communities,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Han is optimistic about the future of agricultural industry. \u201cThere is potential because the industry is less developed than others. Farming can offer new opportunities to young people,\u201d he says<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Han advises young farmers to be well-prepared. \u201cA new and young farmer should also harmonise with the local community in order to be a successful farmer,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Eve Lee
Sub-edited by Soweon Park and Charile Yip<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More young people in South Korea develop a career in farming recently. By Chaelim Kim Kim Young-jin, 27, has been running a blueberry farm for four years after graduating from the Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries (KNCAF). \u201cMy father saw possibilities in farming and suggested I study agriculture at university,\u201d he says. More […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":19504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1817,836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-issue-160","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19423"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19918,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19423\/revisions\/19918"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}