An Analysis of Support Policy Priorities for Young Farmers using AHP and IPA

Domestic agriculture is experiencing difficulties in terms of maintaining competitiveness due to a decreasing and aging population, and concentration in the Seoul Metropolitan Area and urbanization are threatening the sustainability of rural areas. Young farmers can revitalize the region and play a leading role over the older generation when it comes to accepting and applying new changes and technology. The purpose of the present study is to offer a direction for policy aimed at developing young farmers as well as improvements regarding development tasks. To this end, the study examines relative weighted value and priorities concerning policies and projects for developing young farmers, offers priorities through a paired comparison between respective elements, and carries out an IPA of policies and projects for young farmers with preliminary younger farmers as its subjects. An analysis of policy priorities shows relative importance based on emphasis in the order of production infrastructure and growth support(0.482), rural welfare and settlement support(0.242), agricultural startup innovations and marketing(0.180), and lastly, provision of information and governance(0.096). The overall priorities for subjects were in the order of farmland and facilities support(2.338), agricultural management training farms(1.099), basic living expenses for young farmers(0.900), incubation farms for beginning farmers(0.747), and mentor-mentee programs(0.636). Furthermore, according to the IPA results, ‘young farmer information platforms’ were placed in the important sustainable management domain(Ⅰquartile), while ‘export support and market expansion’, along with ‘production support including land leases’, were placed in the necessary priority corrections domain(Ⅱquartile). For low priority weakness items(Ⅲ quartile), ‘support systems for agricultural administration’, ‘formation of young farmer consultative groups’, and ‘expansion of smart farm infrastructure’ were placed, while for sustainable strength items(Ⅳ quartile), ‘creation of education programs’ and ‘development of producer organizations’ were placed. The study aimed at providing basic data for assessing policies and projects for developing young farmers and setting a basic direction for developing young farmers.