Background and objective: As the ‘Healing Agriculture Research and Development and Promotion Act’ came into effect on March 25, 2021, social interest in agro-healing has been increasing exponentially. This study was conducted to analyze the priorities of agro-healing classification system and to provide basic data to inform policy directions and related research for the development and activation of agro-healing.Methods: The survey data collected from 18 experts were analyzed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method in determine the relative weights of the main and sub-criteria for the classification system. There were three main criteria identified: agro-healing input industry, agro-healing service industry, and agro-healing-related/derived industry. There were also 11 sub-criteria.Results: The top three sub-criteria with the highest complex weights include “community service,” “social rehabilitation” and “treatment and rehabilitation,” all of which correspond to the main criterion “agro-healing service industry”. In addition, the complex weights of the sub-criteria corresponding to the main criterion “agro-healing related/derived industry” are as follows: “other agro-healing support service,” which ranked 4th, and “training and education institutions for agro-healing experts,” which ranked 5th when prioritizing the criteria.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the main criterion to be considered first in establishing a classification system is “agro-healing service industry”. Therefore, it is necessary to continue research on detailed service classifications and systems with verified validity to ensure expertise in human resources, and organization related to social purpose services in agro-healing.

Background and objective: This study was conducted to understand the current status and performance factors of domestic agricultural management in order to develop a business model that meets the needs of the times along with the newly emerging demand for agro-healingMethods: An online survey was conducted on 170 care farming business entities nationwide, and the collected data were frequency-coded using SPSS Ver.25. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to extract performance factors, and a reliability analysis was performed to verify internal consistency for each factor.Results: The factors that determine the performance of care farms, such as sales and profits, were classified into seven performance determinants (X1 to X7). Factor 1 was classified as one factor by grouping X2(excellence in use of animals/ plants), X6 (program excellence), X5(quality of facility), and X3 (size of facility) together, and Factor 2 was classified as one factor by grouping two items, X7 (governmental support) and X1(location) together, showing high internal consistency between all Cronbach’s α. The correlation between the factors determining care farm performance did not have statistically significant results between X7 (governmental support), X2 (excellence in use of animals/ plants), and X6 (excellence in program), but overall, there was a correlation between items that was statistically significant. A regression analysis was conducted to determine the variables affecting the performance factors of care farms, and at the 95% confidence level, both the location and sales of care farms were statistically significant.Conclusion: Care farms that provide care farming services were often operated on a small scale because they didn’t have a sufficient base of profit, with the exception of farms operated in connection with former rural education farms. In the future, it is considered for care farms necessary to utilize factors of regional differentiation, such as the locational environment and the characteristics of the region, or to link with multiple targets and institutions in the region.

Background and objective: Agro-healing (care farming) has developed into a new professional area belonging to the field of social horticulture. Agro-healing programs are horticultural activities that serve as social rehabilitation training for the therapeutic treatment of physical and mental disorders, and have caught the attention of scholars in the area of medicine and psychology. Developmental disabilities reduce cognitive function; people with developmental disabilities (PDD) have difficulties in establishing social relationships due to their low visual, hearing, and emotional functions. This study aimed to apply a agro-healing program to PDD and suggest clinical rehabilitation therapy methods for them.Methods: This study selected 32 people who understood its purpose and agreed to participate in the program from April to July 2022 at P Lifelong Education Academy in Wanju-gun and H Developmental Rehabilitation Center in Jeonju-si. There were 15 subjects in the experimental group and 17 in the control group. Pre-test and post-test were conducted to assess hand function, grip strength, and activities of daily living. The results were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 18.0.Results: In the area of upper extremity function, the agro-healing program significantly improved the ability of both hands (right and left) in the experimental group. Within this group, both hands were showed significantly improvement in the the hand function skills of picking up small common objects. Improvement in activities of daily living skills were also statistically significant in the experimental group.Conclusion: In this study, it was confirmed that when a agro-healing program was applied to PDD, it had positive effects on their hand function, grip strength, and activities of daily living skills. It is expected that this can be fully utilized in clinical approaches to rehabilitation therapy for PDD.