1970년대 원주그룹의 전답복구사업과 협업농장 사례 연구

A Case Study on the Wonju Group s Farmland Restoration Program and Cooperative Farms in 1970s

In 1970s, the Wonju Group helped 39 agricultural villages, in 10 cities of 3 provinces, to establish and operate 135 farming groups through a village development program as a part of the Namhan River Project. The group also carried forward a farmland restoration program in 17 villages, in 6 cities of 2 provinces, and conducted civil led development movements in agricultural area by establishing cooperative farms in some villages. This study aims to elucidate the features and surroundings of establishing and operating cooperative farms in agricultural villages such as Nakcheon and Bamsoodong in 1970s, with a participation of Institute of Agricultural Issues who led the cooperative movements of petty farmers in Korean rural communities, which was conducted through a farmland restoration program as a part of the Namhan River Project. The farmland restoration program was to help micro farmers who lost their small farmland during the massive flood of the Namhan River basin but could not receive any aids from the government. This relief program, in connection with village development programs, was carried forward as a part of the farmer-led village development project, and some communities established and operated cooperative farms which are good examples of the civil-led cooperative movements in Korean rural area. The Wonju Group initiated farmer-led village development movements by connecting the farmland restoration program to village development programs. This has an important historical significance since it is a good example of a cooperative work of Korean agriculture via cooperative farms. Those farms aimed to operate a large scale agricultural business by co-work of petty farmers and this philosophy is what differentiated them from the numerous governmental cooperative farms built during 1960s.