Going Back To Farming

The night course for farming education is crowding with baby-boomers living in Seoul. The baby-boomers born just after the truce (1953) of the Korean War have begun to retire from full-time working lives about last year.

The course for purpose of going back to farming in rural regions was organized by the Rural Development Administration. The last fifth course was fully enrolled early only five days after its public notice. As originally the fixed number of trainees was 60, the number was forced to be 80 because of too many applicants. Therefore, the next sixth course is already completely filled with the remaining applicants.

Seeing the trainees, the fifties of age are 40 persons, half the fixed number, forties 21, below thirties 13, over sixties 6.

The National Agricultural Cooperative also opened the night farming course for city office workers in Seoul and Geonggi Province. The distinctive featue of its first selection was similar with the one of the Rural Development Administration’s course.

This phenomenon of going-back-to-farming does not seem to represent a temperary passion. In today’s economy, it has been long that mega-cities did not offer jobs. As the young and middle agers still have fantasy about city’s luxurious lives, not a little of clever and brave retirees are starting to ride the train going forward to green valleys. (The end)