Farmers in Yeongam County are experiencing relief from the inconvenience of having to travel several kilometers to their homes to use the restroom while working in the fields. This is particularly beneficial for women farmers and elderly farmers who have faced challenges accessing toilets. On October 19, Yeongam County announced the completion of eco-friendly mobile toilet installations in three locations—Sinbuk, Miam, and Gunsu-myeon—as part of the 'Women Farmers Toilet Support Project' aimed at improving the farming environment for women farmers.
This initiative is significant as it originated from the requests of women farmers who have long faced difficulties in the field. Park Sun-hwa, a farmer in Miam-myeon who grows rice, shared her experience of having to stop work and drive about five minutes to her home when nature called.
“When I had to go while working in the fields, I would break into a cold sweat driving home,” Park said. “Now, I can use a clean toilet nearby, which is especially appreciated by elderly farmers with knee issues.” Park participated in the pilot project by providing space for the toilet installation and covering 10% of the project costs.
The newly installed toilets in Miam-myeon are expected to serve around 100 farmers, including 30 women farmers. The lack of toilets in agricultural settings is not just a matter of convenience; it directly impacts working conditions, hygiene, and the basic comfort of farmers.
In rural areas where farmland is widely distributed, farmers often have to travel significant distances to access restrooms, leading to complaints from women and elderly farmers. To address this issue, Yeongam County transformed feedback from a women farmers' meeting last year into actionable plans.
In May, the county conducted a demand survey among farmers, followed by a call for project proposals in August, establishing criteria for support. Conditions included the absence of communal or public toilets within a 150-meter radius of the installation site, along with the designation of a responsible manager and obligations for cleanliness.
The county invested approximately 10 million won, including farmers' contributions, into the three final selected sites, completing the installations this month. Each of the three locations in Sinbuk, Miam, and Gunsu-myeon now has one mobile toilet. The county anticipates that a total of 263 farms, including 79 women farmers, will benefit from this initiative.
Post-installation hygiene management is also a key focus. Each toilet manager is required to carry out sanitation measures, including disinfection and waste collection, at least once a week, and to maintain a management log.
This approach aims to prevent the toilets from becoming unusable due to poor maintenance and to ensure that farmers can continue to use them effectively.
Yeongam County Mayor Woo Seung-hee visited the toilet installation site in Miam-myeon on October 14 to inspect the facilities and management plans while listening to the opinions of women farmers.
“I thank the farmers who provided the installation sites and contributed financially for the benefit of many farmers,” Mayor Woo said. “Next year, we will continue to install toilets in the fields so that more farmers can farm conveniently.” He added, “We will carefully monitor even the smallest inconveniences in daily life so that residents can feel the changes.”
Meanwhile, Yeongam County plans to assess the usage and maintenance of the mobile toilets through this pilot project and continue the installation of field toilets next year, aiming to enhance hygiene and convenience for various agricultural participants, including women and elderly farmers.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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