Agro-Healing Service Quality Analysis Using IPA Analysis for Business Owners

Abstract

Background and objective: This study seeks to investigate domestic agro-healing farm resources so that preliminary data can be obtained on the systematic provisions for agro-healing programs in order to improve service quality and to identify the quality of agro-healing policy services.Methods: For this study, owners of agro-healing facilities were asked 24 questions via an online survey. An importance–performance analysis (IPA) was conducted to identify service quality for each policy sector.Results: Respondents’ satisfaction levels were low when compared to agro-healing farm owners’ perceptions of the above-average importance of each sector. The results from the resource analysis of domestic agro-healing farms indicated that the main operational purposes of farms were, in descending order, experience (90.0%), healing (86.7%), and education (84.0%). With respect to the type of program that was operated, cultivating crops (horticultural therapy) was identified most frequently at 83.3%.Conclusion: As a result of this study, the resources possessed by agro-healing farms were identified. In addition, the results of the IPA analysis in terms of service quality are not as good as expected, and performance levels should be increased to improve this. The results of this study are expected to provide useful information not only to improve the quality of agro-healing services, but also to revitalize the agro-healing industry while developing a systematic agro-healing program.

An Awareness and Demand Survey on Agro-Healing Among Adults with Symptoms of Stress

“…In a previous study that examined the purpose of operating agro-healing programs among program operators (Gim et al, 2013), education was the first priority, followed by healing. As a result of examining the purpose of operating agro-healing facility among facility operators, experience was first priority, healing was second, and education was third (Kim et al, 2021 As such, each country has a different purpose of agro-healing or care farming, which is why Korea must also discuss the adoption of employment policies in agor-healing (Choi et al, 2021;Gim, 2013;Lee, 2016).…”

“…Most users of agro-healing services in Korea are living in urban areas. However, most care farms have switched from production farms or experience farms to agro-healing (Kim et al, 2021). Agro-healing services are mostly provided in rural areas since they are agricultural activities, making user access difficult (Roesta et al, 2010).…”

“…However, there are overall insufficient basic data related to public awareness and demand for agro-healing, as well as national policies and support measures (Kim et al, 2021;Park et al, 2017). In particular, according to the results of the Mental Health Survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders among citizens is 27.8% as of 2021 (MOHW, 2021), and 75% of severe mental illness develops in youth before the age of 25, which is raising the need for early intervention in mental illness among the youth (Kim et al, 2020).…”