• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.107-119
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• 2001

As the information gap between rural and urban area, and between men and women has been widening, the Rural Development Administration(RDA) has initiated the women farmers information project from 2000. The aims of this project are; 1) to facilitate women farmers' computer and information application in agriculture and income generating activities, and 2) to make them to be leaders to popularize computer application in rural area and agricultural sector. For these, RDA has provided not only PC, software, computer training but also the post support of extension educator to target group. This paper focused on evaluating the effect of the project, clarifying the related variables with the effect, and providing suggestions to enhance the effect. The data were gathered from 310 target women farmers and 166 extension educators in charge of the project all over the country by mailing survey with questionnaire. The main findings of this study were as follows; 1) The level of computer application of the target group was improved drastically, 2) As their self-assessment, they could improve psychological fear on the computer, recognition about information, and attitude to seek information, 3) This project was helpful for them in terms of information gathering and farm(or income generating activities) management, 4) They tried to disseminate the benefit of computer application to neighbors, so that the neighbors' interest in computer and attendance of computer training were improved, 5) Variables such as the computer training hours, the number of interaction with extension educator, formal schooling and farming history were significantly related to the project's effect. To enhance the project's effect the following strategies should be carried out; 1) The period of the computer training course should be standardized and the subjects should attend to the computer training course for the standardized period. 2) Through continuous interaction with the subjects, the extension educator should support them to use computer well and to overcome some difficulties as a beginner. 3) In selecting the subjects, the priority should be given to the person who graduated high school at least. 4) The subjects should focus on using management software, gathering useful information for their business, and selling their products directly to the consumer. 5) So as to enhance the abilities mentioned above, RDA should strengthen learning opportunities through on-line training and providing educational software, besides of existing off-line training.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this preliminary study was to investigate gender equality consciousness among elementary school teachers and the 6th graders at 3 rural area in Korea. Methods: There were 78 teachers and 323 6th graders from five elementary schools in Y area in Jeonnam province. The data was collected with 3 structured self-reported questionnaire from June to July 2003. The instrument, which was developed by Korean Women Development Institute to test gender equality consciousness, was composed of 20-items (Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ = .87 in teachr group; Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ = .83 in children group) with four subcategories: family life, school life, business life, and social life. The data was analyzed by a one-way ANOVA and t-test using SPSS/PC+. Results: 1. Teachers' gender equality consciousness: The teachers' gender equality consciousness was significantly more affirmative in females (t = 5.313, p = .001) and in the younger teacher group (F = 24.710, p = .001). On the other hand, there was no significant difference according to marital status. The differences in all four subcategories were also significantly affirmative in the female and younger teacher group. 2. Students' gender equality consciousness: The gender equality consciousness among the 6th graders was somewhat different from the teachers'. School girls (t = 8.988, p = .001) and children from double income families (t = 3.171, p = .042) were more affirmative in gender equality consciousness than the other groups. In the four sub-categories, school girls were also significantly more affirmative in all four subcategories. On the other hand, according to the family income source, the children from double income families also tended to be more affirmative only in the subcategory of family life (t = 3.196, p = .042) Conclusions: Gender equality consciousness is remarkably different according to gender both in Korean elementary school teachers and in school children. Age was a key variable in teachers for gender equality consciousness. Further research in gender equality consciousness of parents, school principals and urban school population would be useful. In order to promote gender equality consciousness, various educational materials and a mass education campaign should be developed.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.62-69
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• 2019

Supplying stable electric power is one of the important objectives of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) because it is strongly related with improving living standards and income levels in the region. However, rural areas in many developing countries are not properly connected to national power grids, and even areas connected to national power grids are frequently blacked out due to limitations in power capacity. These lack of electric power is a major obstacle to improving income levels and improving living standards in those areas. The Korea-Tanzania Innovative and Energy Center (iTEC), which was established by Seoul National University in cooperation with the Nelson-Mandela Africa Institute of Science and Technology and Technology (NM-AIST) try to build a small solar power plant using a smart-off grid in rural area of Tanzania, where there is no electricity. 10 kW and 7 kW solar power plants are built in Mkalama Village in Kilimanajaro Region and Ngurdoto Village in Arusha Region to provide power to about 50 households each. In addition, smart monitoring systems were installed to collect data about status of power system and power consumption of each house. iTEC seeks for sustainable improvement the income level and quality of life of rural residents in developing countries through the construction of small solar power plants using smart-off grid, and the implementation of various connected projects.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.104 no.3
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• pp.495-502
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• 2015

This study intended to provide basic data required in establishing policies for improving the forestry management and the compensation standard for the loss from non-timber forest products by examining the cost of cultivating key medicinal herbs and the earnings from them to analyze the income. According to the income analysis on the cultivation of medicinal herbs, the average annual income per unit area of Adenophora triphylla var. japonica Hara was the highest as it recorded 14,233,000 won/10a and was followed by Pleuropterus multiflorus TURCZ. which recorded 4,121,000 won/10a, Gastrodia elata Blume 3,766,000 won/10a, Epimedium koreanum Nakai 3,537,000 won/10a, Atractylodes ovata (Thunb.) DC. 2,655,000 won/10a, Aralia continentalis Kitagawat 1,048,000 won/10a, Paeonia lactiflora Pallas 1,025,000 won/10a, and Bupleurum falcatum L. 919,000 won/10a. Compared with the income from major nuts and fruits analyzed in 2014, the average annual income per unit area for medicinal herbs was relatively higher. For Adenophora triphylla var. japonica Hara and Aralia continentalis Kitagawat, soots are used for food and the roots for medicine, it appears that it can become a new income source for the farming and mountain villages. Meanwhile, the price for Paeonia lactiflora Pallas is dropping due to Chinese imports, and also damage to the income from other medicinal herbs due to Chinese imports is expected with the implementation of Korea-China FTA in the future.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.163-173
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• 2014

This study investigates the dietary risk factors in elderly individuals in rural Korea by focusing on the development of service programs that can improve their health. The sample included 1,000 free-living elderly individuals aged 65 and over in rural Korea. A three-stage stratified random sampling method based on 2010 Korean census data was employed. Data on the dietary status and the need for assistance in meal management were collected through face-to-face interviews. The dietary status was evaluated based on the Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) checklist, and the outcomes for three groups classified base on their family type were examined. According to NSI scores, more than 70% of the subjects faced some nutritional risk. The activities most requiring assistance in meal management included preparing meals (18.3%) and purchasing food items (11.7%). More than half of the subjects reported that having meals at community senior centers at least once a week. The results indicate that those subjects from single-individual households were most likely to face some nutritional risk and require, assistance in purchasing food items and preparing meals. In addition, these subjects were least likely to be satisfied with their health and dietary management. To improve the dietary status of elderly individuals in rural Korea, any service programs should facilitate their daily activities by focusing on improving their diet, particularly that of those from low-income, single-individual households.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depression and related to the factors among the rural people. The questionnaire survey using the Center for Epidemiology Studies-Depression Scale(CES-D) was conducted in the rural people. The subjects were 226 individuals, living in the rural area. The results of this study were as follows. In this study, the prevalence of depression was 15.0% in all and 18.3% in the elderly. The prevalence rate was higher in non educational, widowhood, higher income group. The prevalence rate was lower in the group of having good health status, having no chronic disease, low stress level. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, significant predictors of the depression were stress level whereas there was no relation with other factors. Based on the above findings, this study suggests that these risk factors of depression should be taken into consideration for the comprehensive mental health programs for the people living in the rural area.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.93-102
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• 1993

The symptoms of farmer's syndrome that occurred to Korean farmers are due to the specific characteristics of Korean agriculture, and the basic reasons are poverty and less-privileged rural cultural life originated from social and political conditions. Then the purposes of this study are to investigate farmer's syndrome of farmers and to get substantial data to make a strategy that could prevent diseases. The results are as follows: 1. The most common symptom was lumbago(83.0%) among the 7 kinds of symptoms of farmer's syndrome. And it was more common among women who deliver babies and also work house chores and 10 farms than men(p<0.05). 2. The numbers of symptoms of farmer's syndrome increased as age increases and, 71.4% of those aged 70-79 complained some of the symptoms. 3. The accident rate due to agricultural machine was significantly higher in men than women(p<0.05). By frequency contusion was the most common trauma, fall, fracture were the nexts, and the age group with highest accident rate(40%) was those aged 20-29. 4. To see the significantly correlated factors between faemer's syndrome and sociodemo graphic variables, the more the numbers of family members were, the more lumbago and the less heartburn occurred. And the less gross income was the more frequent nocturnal urinary frequency occurred, and the wider the farming land was the more frequent noctural urinary frequency occurred. 5. As result of correlation coefficient between the numbers of illnesses and sociodemographic variables, the larger the family was and the larger the farming land was the more illnesses the subjects had, and those without spouses had more illnesses.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.87-97
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• 2013

This study tried to explore the quantitative travel heterogeneity between elderly and non elderly people, focusing on urban and rural areas in south Chungcheong province. For the analysis, a PLS(Partial least square) model is applied with economic and traffic environment characteristics of the urban and rural areas. The characteristics of elderly and non elderly people in the urban and rural areas are derived from the 2011 person trip survey. As a result, the study found out that the key factors affect on elderly people in the urban and rural areas are bus operation interval, number of bus operation routes, number of household member, and a monthly average income of household. In case of non elderly people, areas economic factors such as GRDP, the rate of economic activity, and employment status as well as those of elderly people. Meanwhile, female elderly people in rural area have more sensitivity compared to male elderly people and the gender heterogeneity is not revealed in non elderly people.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.261-277
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• 2010

This study is undertaken to present the facilitation plan of English library that specialized the resource-based learning to provide learning that is suited for student's own learning style and self-leading learning as the method to learn contents required for individuals as a method for improving the English education environment in the rural areas. For this purpose, a study was conducted to find out the possibility of facilitating English library in the rural areas on the basis of consulting for structuring and operating English library in public libraries located in isolated areas clustered with low income class in the urban areas where the conditions are similar to the rural areas and results are shown as the followings. First, it displayed the possibility to have the rural area located with many closed schools or small-sized schools to facilitate the available facilities to build up the environment to specialize in English education that would be as comparable as any facilities in any urban setting. Second, it would enable the conditions to moderate the conflict on education environment for local residents who felt inequality in education by providing the benefit for fine education linked to public education through English library without going through private education. And third, English library that has the limitations in locality or economic means would actively participate by local educational institutions and volunteers to enhance the sense of master for the local residents and bring residents together to make positive impact on local economy facilitation.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.355-365
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• 2019

Objectives: In rural areas of Korea, where public transportation infrastructure is lacking and alternative systems are poor, the elderly experience inconveniences in using healthcare, although their need is high. This study aimed to analyze the association between the convenience of transportation and unmet healthcare needs among the rural elderly. Methods: The data used were collected in the 2016 Community Health Survey among rural elderly individuals aged 65 or older. Dependent variable was the unmet healthcare needs, explanatory variable was the convenience of transportation. The elderly were divided into 3 groups: with no driver in the household, with a driver, and the elderly individual was the driver (the self-driving group). Covariates were classified into predisposing, enabling, and need factors. They included gender, age, education, income, economic activity, household type, motor ability, subjective health level, number of chronic diseases, anxiety/depression, and pain/discomfort. The data were analyzed using logistic regression and stratification. Results: A significant association was found between the convenience of transportation and unmet healthcare needs. When examined unadjusted odds ratio of the group with a driver in the household, using the group with no driver as a reference, was 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.54 to 0.68), while that of the self-driving group was 0.34 (95% CI, 0.30 to 0.38). The odds ratios adjusted for all factors were 0.69 (95% CI, 0.59 to 0.80) and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.67 to 0.91). Conclusions: We confirmed a significant association between inconvenient transportation and unmet healthcare needs among the rural elderly even after adjustment for existing known factors. This implies that policies aimed at improving healthcare accessibility must consider the means of transportation available.