LOCAL FARM-MARKETS

[Anchor Lead]

Farms tend to struggle with labor shortage especially during the harvest season as more young people head to cities. As a solution to these labor shortages, so-called farm-markets are opening, allowing consumers to harvest crops directly themselves. For our local news today, we take you to Gyeonggido Province

[Pkg]

At this mulberry farm in Suwon, Gyeonggido Province,,, workers are busy harvesting ripen mulberries from the trees. However, these workers are not farmers, but rather locals from a nearby city. The farmers grow the fruit while consumers gather it in a so-called farm-market. By investing some time and labor, people can buy produce at 30 to 40 percent less than the market value. There's more to it than the affordable price. Consumers can pick out quality crops with their own eyes and for children, the hands-on experience is invaluable.

[Soundbite] JEON SOO-YANG(GYEONGGI-DO RESIDENT) : "There's the joy of harvesting and feeding organic crops to my family. I think our family can come here and do this again."

Farms struggling with chronic labor shortages are also happy. While saving costs on logistics and distribution that previously went to middlemen, farmers can instead offer lower prices to consumers. Farmers can also receive immediate feedback from consumers about the taste and freshness of the crops.

[Soundbite] RYU GANG-SEON(MULBERRY FARMER) : "We can't continue to hire workers so we thought the most reasonable option would be to sell at a lower price to the consumers who work here."

In countries like the US and Japan, farm-markets have been increasing in farming areas especially located near urban towns and city centers. This new distribution method is also gaining traction in Korea where many rural villages are mainly populated with senior citizens.