The Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) held the 21st Rural Policy Forum on “Strategies for the Success of the Rural Revitalization Plus Project” and the “Rural Social Economy and Social Farming” at BEXCO, Busan, Nov. 23. This event was part of the 2017 National Balanced Development Expo that presents the vision and goals of the Moon Jae-in government’s new regional policy.
 

In the first session on “Strategies for the Success of the Rural Revitalization Plus Project,” attendees discussed ways to boost functional industries with high value added by utilizing specialized regional resources, and analyzed the performance of the Revitalization Project that the participatory government implemented. Local governments, including Hamyang-gun and Jangsu-gun, made case presentations, followed by a discussion in which diverse opinions were presented regarding improvement tasks of and expectations for the Rural Revitalization Plus Project.
 

In the second session on the “Rural Social Economy and Social Farming,” participants discussed trends and outcomes related to the rural social economy, and the potential roles of social farming in strategies to develop the rural social economy. In a discussion after presentations, an opinion was presented that interest is necessary for social farming to contribute to rural Korea.