The district distributed kimchi vegetable seedlings and provided cultivation education to allotment holders — marking the first graduating class of 20 from the first urban farming specialist training institution designated among Seoul's autonomous districts
Jungnang-gu has been running cultivation education sessions for allotment holders to broaden community participation in urban farming, while also operating a specialist training program to develop professional talent in the field.
On Wednesday, the district held a "kimchi vegetable seedling distribution and cultivation education" session at Jungnang Haengbok Farm No. 1, organized by the Jungnang Urban Agriculture Cooperative. About 200 people attended, including allotment holders, children and parents from 26 daycare centers that received institutional allotments, and volunteers.
The session distributed cabbage and radish seedlings for participants to harvest during kimchi-making season and provided guidance on cultivation methods. A professional instructor covered seedling-planting techniques and eco-friendly pest control, after which allotment holders planted the seedlings themselves.
The Jungnang Haengbok Urban Agriculture Center — the first facility among Seoul's autonomous districts designated as an urban farming specialist training institution — held its inaugural graduation ceremony on Friday, producing 20 graduates. All 20 completed approximately five months of training totaling 80 hours, covering urban farming fundamentals, crop cultivation practice, allotment design and development, and urban farming education program planning.
The 20 graduates will be eligible to obtain the "urban farming manager" qualification once they acquire a relevant national technical certificate at the technician level or above. That credential will qualify them to work as professional instructors and practitioners at urban farming education institutions, school allotment gardens, and community organizations.
"Urban farming spans everything from everyday hands-on experiences of planting and tending crops to the systematic training of specialists through theory and practice," Jungnang-gu District Mayor Ryu Gyeong-gi said. "We will continue to expand opportunities for residents to experience urban farming up close and to develop their professional capabilities in the field."
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