This study aims to examine the current state of dry-field farming infrastructure improvement in changes in the upland farming environment including horticultural crops and fruit with the recent Korea-China FTA talks, and to draw plans to improve the infrastructure of dry-field farming poorer than that of paddy farming.
This study covers both fields and paddies for measures to expand the improvement of the upland farming infrastructure. First, the concept of dry-field farming and the significance of its infrastructure improvement are examined. Second, the present state and tasks of upland farming are investigated. Third, the actual condition and tasks of dry-field farming infrastructure improvement are examined, and the ways to supplement the improvement are presented. Fourth, policy tasks for effective reorganization of the infrastructure are presented.
We examine dry-field farming infrastructure improvement for fields and paddies, and present alternatives such as expanding the Dry-field Farming Infrastructure Improvement Project’s target, enhancing the project’s level, implementing projects centered on main producing areas, upgrading the budget support system, and reforming the system of coordinating land use and organizing to supplement upland infrastructures early. To expand the project’s target beyond the standard of the grouped area size (that was relaxed from over 30ha to over 10ha), it is needed to increase the target areas more actively, and to develop proper types of the project through organizing by region. Basically, regional differentiation including simple and complex improvement should be sought. However, it is necessary to strengthen and develop the project’s key contents such as paving access roads, readjusting farmland, and developing water. The project should focus on main producing areas. Nevertheless, in consideration of cities and counties without the designation of main producing areas, it is needed to establish the Development Plan for Agriculture, Rural Villages and the Food Industry by city and county, and each region needs to plan and deliberate whether to implement projects including the designation of main producing areas by city and county and of the Dry-field Farming Infrastructure Improvement Project’s target area. As for the reorganization of the project’s budget support system from the Regional Development Special Account to the Agriculture & Fisheries Structure Adjustment Special Account (Agriculture Special Account), the following ways can be considered: implementing existing projects with the Regional Development Special Account and new projects with the budget support system of the Agriculture Special Account in the areas selected by the central government; conducting only field infrastructure improvement centered on main producing areas with the budget support system of the Agriculture Special Account; implementing only projects in areas possible of field readjustment with the Agriculture Special Account’s budget support system; and implementing projects in grouped areas above a certain size (e.g. grouped areas over 10ha: Agriculture Special Account; grouped areas under 10ha: Regional Development Special Account) with the budget support system of the Agriculture Special Account.
The policy tasks for efficient upland farming infrastructure improvement are as follows. First, it is needed to promote strategies for projects centered on main producing areas and organization for regional differentiation. Second, projects’ priorities and proper size should be decided. Third, it is necessary to secure stable finance and to improve the budget support system. Fourth, a resources survey and demonstration projects are needed. Finally, it is necessary to upgrade the farmland management systems centered on the land category of paddies and the adjustment of land use.

Researchers: Kim Hong-sang and Chae Gwang-seok
Research period: 2014. 1. ~ 2014. 7.
E-mail address: hskim@krei.re.kr