• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.191-201
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• 2010

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the predictors of physical activity between urban and rural dwelling Korean older adults. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey. A self-report questionnaire or face to face interviews were used to collect data from 336 older adults (urban: 129, rural: 207) who visited public health centers or welfare centers in 2008. Results: About half of the participants (urban: 50.4%, rural: 47.3%) were classified as the minimally active group. Cognitive function (odds ratio [OR]=1.106, p=.004) and loneliness (OR=0.965, p=.044) were predicting factors for physical activity in rural elderly. Age (OR=0.326, p=.037), gender (OR=2.841, p=.021) and depression (OR= 0.799, p<.001) were significant factors predicting physical activity in urban elders. Conclusion: These findings provide information that is relevant in designing interventions to enhance physical activity in older adults. There is a need to develop effective mutifaceted physical activity interventions that include reducing psychological barriers such as depression, loneliness.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.49-74
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• 2008

Although demands for people to promote quality of life have been increased, rural residents especially aged was very difficult to keep in touch with the public social service system. On the other hand, many volunteers belonged to non-profit organizations(NPOs) have contributed to deliver the social service to overcome restrictive public social service system. The purpose of this study was to compare volunteer activities of both of rural and urban women NPOs, and to suggest some programs to facilitate volunteer activities in rural area. For this study, the survey was conducted by interviews based on a closed questionnaire. The subjects of the survey were members of rural and urban women NPOs in Gangneung and Anseong districts. It was conducted from August 24 to October 31, 2006. Data were collected from 582 members, of which 562 data were analyzed. The major findings were follows: Rural women participated in volunteer activity of 7 fields a year, while urban women participated in 6.5 fields. But, only 15.8% of rural women volunteers was insured for accident during activities by local Volunteer Center, on the other hand, 53.2% of urban women volunteers was insured. This study suggested measures to support compensations (accident insurance and so on) for volunteer activities of rural women, and to put emphasis on some programs especially to encourage urban women`s activities for rural area.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.27-45
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• 1990

Two opposing views prevail regarding the economic impact of rural out-migration on the rural areas of origin. The optimistic neoclassical view argues that rapid rural out-migration is not detrimental to the income and welfare of the rural areas of origin, whereas Lipton (1980) argues the opposite. We developed our own alternative model for rural to urban migration, appropriate for rapidly developing economies such as Korea's. This model, which adopts international trade theories of nontraded goods and Dutch Disease to rural to urban migration issues, argues that rural to urban migration is caused mainly by two factors: first, the unprofitability of farming, and second, the decrease in demand for rural nontraded goods and the increase in demand for urban nontraded goods. The unprofitability of farming is caused by the increase in rural wages, which is induced by increasing urban wages in booming urban manufacturing sectors, and by the fact that the cost increases in farming cannot be shifted to consumers, because farm prices are fixed worldwide and because the income demand elasticity for farm products is very low. The demand for nontraded goods decreases in rural and increases in urban areas because population density and income in urban areas increase sharply, while those in rural areas decrease sharply, due to rapid rural to urban migration. Given that the market structure for nontraded goods-namely, service sectors including educational and health facilities-is mostly in monopolistically competitive, and that the demand for nontraded goods comes only from local sources, the urban service sector enjoys economies of scale, and can thus offer services at cheaper prices and in greater variety, whereas the rural service sector cannot enjoy the advantages offered by scale economies. Our view concerning the economic impact of rural to urban migration on rural areas of origin agrees with Lipton's pessimistic view that rural out-migration is detrimental to the income and welfare of rural areas. However, our reasons for the reduction of rural income are different from those in Lipton's model. Lipton argued that rural income and welfare deteriorate mainly because of a shortage of human capital, younger workers and talent resulting from selective rural out-migration. Instead, we believe that rural income declines, first, because a rapid rural-urban migration creates a further shortage of farm labor supplies and increases rural wages, and thus reduces further the profitability of farming and, second, because a rapid rural-urban migration causes a further decline of the rural service sectors. Empirical tests of our major hypotheses using Korean census data from 1966, 1970, 1975, 1980 and 1985 support our own model much more than the neoclassical or Lipton's models. A kun (county) with a large out-migration had a smaller proportion of younger working aged people in the population, and a smaller proportion of highly educated workers. But the productivity of farm workers, measured in terms of fall crops (rice) purchased by the government per farmer or per hectare of irrigated land, did not decline despite the loss of these youths and of human capital. The kun having had a large out-migration had a larger proportion of the population in the farm sector and a smaller proportion in the service sector. The kun having had a large out-migration also had a lower income measured in terms of the proportion of households receiving welfare payments or the amount of provincial taxes paid per household. The lower incomes of these kuns might explain why the kuns that experienced a large out-migration had difficulty in mechanizing farming. Our policy suggestions based on the tests of the currently prevailing hypotheses are as follows: 1) The main cause of farming difficulties is not a lack of human capital, but the in­crease in production costs due to rural wage increases combined with depressed farm output prices. Therefore, a more effective way of helping farm economies is by increasing farm output prices. However, we are not sure whether an increase in farm output prices is desirable in terms of efficiency. 2) It might be worthwhile to attempt to increase the size of farmland holdings per farm household so that the mechanization of farming can be achieved more easily. 3) A kun with large out-migration suffers a deterioration in income and welfare. Therefore, the government should provide a form of subsidization similar to the adjustment assistance provided for international trade. This assistance should not be related to the level of farm output. Otherwise, there is a possibility that we might encourage farm production which would not be profitable in the absence of subsidies. 4) Government intervention in agricultural research and its dissemination, and large-scale social overhead projects in rural areas, carried out by the Korean government, might be desirable from both efficiency and equity points of view. Government interventions in research are justified because of the problems associated with the appropriation of knowledge, and government actions on large-scale projects are justified because they required collective action.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.19-41
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• 2017

This paper examines the aspects of changes in China's consumer market since the mid-1980s. By comparing urban and rural residents' expenditures, I find that the rural consumer market has exhibited extraordinary growth. Over the past decade, the consumption growth rate and average propensity to consume by rural residents have surpassed those of their urban counterparts, with the former's consumption patterns becoming increasingly similar to the latter's. Such a phenomenon prevails in rural areas which neighbor second-and third-tier cities where urbanization is progressing rapidly. These findings imply that Korean companies need to diversify their export goods in line with China's expanding rural markets while further differentiating their product composition to satisfy the heterogeneous demands in urban areas. With regard to the government, efforts must be made to strengthen the export cooperative system so that it targets not only urban but also rural markets in China.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.297-308
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• 2008

Previous research on elderly care in rural areas has focused on inter-generational support, ignoring the possibility of elderly care among community members in the rural areas of Korea. This study attempts to explore the roles and potentials of community-based elderly care in rural areas where nearby family or formal services are unavailable. For this purpose, data was collected from the elderly in three Korean rural villages using qualitative case study methods. Each village was studied as a separate case study and in-depth interviews with the elderly in each village were conducted. All interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim for the analysis. The data was analyzed using the Reflective Qualitative Analytic Technique. Results showed that rural elderly in all three villages had lunch, talked, and played together; almost everyday in the winter. However, the nature of care among rural elderly varied depending on the characteristics of the rural community (the traditional rural, the rural mixed with the urban, and the neighboring rural with the urban). Specifically, the use of mutual aids (providing food, repairing housing, and checking personal safety by telephone or visit, etc.) was most consistent at the traditional rural village. Because both the rural village mixed with the urban and the neighboring rural village with urban have better access to many aids and programs from formal institutions, mutual aids among community members decreased compared with the traditional rural village. However, regular group activities such as sports, dancing or debate help to provide pleasure and integrate the community. These results suggest that community relationships as a substitution for social support provide by family or formal services can be utilized in rural areas.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6365-6373
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• 2015

Background: Tobacco consumption has become pandemic, and is estimated to have killed 100 million people in the 20th century worldwide. Some 700,000 out of 5.4 million deaths due to tobacco use were from India. The era of global modernization has led to an increase in the involvement of women in tobacco consumption in the low income and middle-income countries. Tobacco consumption by females is known to have grave consequences. Objectives: To assess: (1) the tobacco use among urban and rural women; (2) the discrepancy in the knowledge, belief and behavior towards tobacco consumption among urban and rural women in Durg-Bhilai Metropolitan, Chhattisgarh, Central India. Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 2,000 18-25 year old young women from Durg-Bhilai Metropolitan, Chhattisgarh, Central India, from both urban and rural areas. Data were collected using a pretested, anonymous, extensive face to face interview by a female investigator to assess the tobacco use among women and the discrepancy in the knowledge, belief and behavior towards tobacco consumption among urban and rural individuals. Results: The prevalence of tobacco use was found to be 47.2%. Tobacco consumption among rural women was 54.4% and in urban women was 40%. The majority of the women from urban areas (62.8%) were smokers whilst rural women (77.4%) showed preponderance toward smokeless tobacco use. Urban women had a better knowledge and attitude towards harms from tobacco and its use than the rural women. Women in rural areas had higher odds (1.335) of developing tobacco habit than the urban women. Conclusions: Increased tobacco use by women poses very severe hazards to their health, maternal and child health, and their family health and economic well-being. Due to the remarkably complex Indian picture of female tobacco use, an immediate and compulsory implementation of tobacco control policies laid down by t he WHO FCTC is the need of the hour.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.153-167
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• 2021

Background and objective: With the revision of the Act on Urban Parks, Green Areas, Etc. in 2013, the "urban agricultural park" was newly established under the subcategory of "themed park," thereby establishing the institutional basis for the creation of urban agricultural parks. However, urban agricultural parks are still in the early stages of their introduction. There is a lack of research on direction setting and specific operation management that considers urban residents' needs and the city's physical infrastructure. Methods: We utilized the public service design process suggested by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety of the Republic of Korea in 2019 to identify problems and develop directions for urban agricultural parks. The process consisted of the following four steps: Understanding, Discovering people's needs, Defining real problems, and Developing ideas. Results: As four types of ideas for revitalizing urban agricultural parks, 'information users want to know,' 'user participation in design,' 'venue for local communities,' and 'urban agricultural parks as health and rest areas' were derived. This means that urban agricultural parks must provide the information users want; users must plan, decide, and implement such information by directly participating in the creation and efficient management and operation of urban agricultural parks; and urban agricultural parks must be used as a venue for local communities. Urban agricultural parks should also be spaces for health and relaxation. Conclusion: Urban agricultural parks should avoid the unified space and passive participation patterns of existing urban parks, and become real spaces for resident participation that can satisfy all the production, leisure, landscape, ecology, and psycho-social needs of the users of urban agricultural parks. Furthermore, it is necessary to introduce a more systematic and diverse operating system so that it can work to revitalize the local community and connect organically with the function of the city.

• Journal of the Korean Regional Science Association
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.61-78
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• 1995

This study begins with a question of what spatial impact international trade policy would have following the Uruguay Round, particularly focusing on agricultural trade liberalization in Korea. Based upon the neoclassical urban economic model, it first identifies the channel in which agricultural market opening can ultimately affect both rural and urban are as; $\circled1$ Free trade will depress domestic price of agricultural products, $\circled2$ which will in turn depreciate agricultural land price. $\circled3$ The decrease in marginal supply cost for urban land will then facilitate urban sprawl, provided that the government relaxes restrictions on urban-rural land conversion. Theoretical analysis is further refined by empirical considerations that distinguish agricultural land value solely for production purpose from that for future urban, uses, and that distinguish the urbanization effect caused by the fall in the supply cost of urban land from that caused by the existing high level of demand. Utilizing the estimate of bid-price for paddy field derived from the revenue-cost relationship of rice production, simulation results show that the urban-rural boundary under trade liberalization can expand outward up to 70-85km radius in the Seoul metropolitan area, suggesting the emergency of a metropolis or even a megalopolis which extends from Seoul to the central part of the country. Since the geographic extent of urbanization effect can vary depending upon the urban spatial structure, however, it is recommended that the redevelopment option in the built - up area should always be tied up with the issue of whether to deregulate rural-to-urban land conversion.

• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.615-624
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• 2020

Background and objective: Urbanization caused a reduction in urban green space and a lack of community spaces. An attempt to solve these problems, urban gardens, have become popular and are currently being implemented in various downtown areas. However, urban gardens have some inadequate aspects from a visual or landscape perspective. The goal of this study was to examine the possibility of an aesthetic and productive garden space by introducing cultivation methods through the planting system design process. Methods: The design process using plants was classified and presented to suggest the importance of the landscape and aesthetic value. An urban garden space was designed according to the perspective of 'production scenery' and 'participation aesthetics'. According to the characteristics of the plant, urban gardens were divided into vertical type (corn, millet, sorghum), climbing type (kidney bean, cucumber, bitter gourd), and runner type (melon, watermelon, peanut). After classifying plants according to the shape of the root, the structure supporting climbing was installed and the crops were cultivated in an upright form with a tunnel. Results: In the designed cultivation, each crop cooperates, without invading each other's space. Compared with the conventional cultivation, there was little difference in production, and management was made more convenient since weed outbreaks were effectively suppressed while runner type crops cover over the land's surface. Since the positions of each crop are clearly distinguished, the aesthetic value is improved by offering a sense of rhythm with a balanced design. Conclusion: The results suggest that the cultivation methods through the plant system design process have aesthetic as well as productive value, and the design using plants, an infinite living resource, could lead to an expansion of the design field. Moreover, it would enable a sustainable symbiosis between industry and environment. There is potential for the design industry to make significant progress through collaboration with agriculture, horticulture, and landscape architecture.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.97-105
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• 2017

The interest and participation of the rural experience is increasing as an alternative for the problems such as the decrease of the agricultural income facing the agriculture and the rural area, the decrease of the population, and the regional stagnation. The rural experience has recently been transformed into a software dimension such as programs and participation activities in the past. In addition, public awareness also positively evaluates agriculture and rural communities as the basis for supporting society and recognition of multiple functions. Furthermore, the intention of the citizen to the earnest village is increasing. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of rural experience and customer satisfaction of urban residents on the recognition of return to farm and rural areas. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the characteristics of rural experience had a positive effect on the farming villages by the program, the experience field and the host, and the customer satisfaction had a positive effect on the farming villages. Therefore, it is considered that a systematic approach to the rural experience is needed in the future because the experience of the rural people in the city has a positive effect on the earliest villages.