Gangdong-gu presented the 2017 eco-friendly urban garden project which has been upgraded from last year in support of the 3rd year of the “2020 Eco-friendly Urban Farming Project” which enters the 4th phase of settlement.

The opening ceremonies of six gardens in the jurisdiction will be held simultaneously on March 25 at 10:00 AM at Yangji Garden.

Leading the trend of urban farming across the country, Gangdong-gu operates the largest number of gardens amongst the boroughs of Seoul. A variety of urban farming related projects were performed to encourage residents to become more aware of environmental issues and grow plants.

With the start of Dunchon Garden established in 2010, the number of gardens in Gangdong-gu has increased in diverse ways. Currently, 7,600 sections of the gardens on an area of 164,188 ㎡, which is the greatest scale amongst the boroughs, were allotted to the citizens of Seoul. In addition, 29,000 sections were allocated to promote box gardens, rooftop gardens, and gardens on unused land.

Moreover, a former farmer’s market ‘SingSing Dream,’ located at 922, Dongnam-ro, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, has been opened since June 2013 and has grown to include over 8,300 members with cumulative sales of over KRW 1 billion in the fifth year, pioneering an eco-friendly food supply with low prices.

In August 2013, an urban farming park was established to allow citizens to enjoy and learn about urban farming for the first time ever.

Furthermore, 50% of the harvests from community gardens has been donated to neighbors in need through food markets. A garden in Amsa Historical Park operated by the district office is allotted to multicultural families, North Korean defectors, disabled persons, and large families for free of charge in the interest of sharing with, concerns on, and recovery of a community.

With the endeavor to supply local foods to a wide range of nursery schools and such institutions, eco-friendly agricultural products were provided to 41 elementary schools in Gangdong-gu and Songpa-gu in 2016. In 2017, 50 community childcare centers, daycare centers, and kindergartens will also be provided with safe foods for children to eat.

In particular, special programs such as urban beekeeping and classes on indigenous farming and medicinal herbs have been continuously developed to expand the base of urban farming and provide interesting and different experiences to residents.

These efforts of the office have been globally recognized by the Energy Globe Awards in 2015 and the Green Apple Awards in 2016, which is known as one of the four major environmental awards in the world, where the office had received the Gold Award.

New attempts will be made this year to scale up urban farming in the city and create joyful gardens in which more people can participate. 600 sections of eco-friendly public gardens will be added to the 7,000 sections of the gardens built last year. Ten sections of a farming garden, which is differentiated from normal gardens, will be added in Gangil Garden. Built on an area of 80 ㎡ that is five times larger than a normal garden, the garden will also be used as a rest area. Additionally, the place will be offered for interaction among and communication between families and neighbors where they can use barbecue grills.

 In addition to opening the gardens, a variety of communicational and sharing programs such as classes on field farmers, beekeeping, and indigenous farming in an ecological cycle and training sessions for fostering gardeners of indoor and outdoor gardens will be offered in utilization of urban farming.

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