마을공동사업체의 법인화를 위한 제도개선 방안

Abstract

최근 들어 농촌 마을에서 공동으로 추진하는 정부지원사업이 늘어나고 있다. 과거에는 주로 마을의 영농조직을 대상으로 생산유통지원사업에 의한 시설 지원이 많았으나, 요즘은 마을 공동체 단위로 생활환경 정비와 소득원 개발 등을 위한 다양한 사업이 추진되고 있다. 농촌사회가 점점 고령화되고 일부 지역에서는 공동화 현상까지 나타나는 실정에서 마을 공동체를 육성하고 활성화하는 것은 매우 바람직한 일이다. 따라서 정부에서도 다양한 형태로 마을공동사업을 지원함으로써 지역경제를 활성화하고 일자리도 창출하며 젊은 인력과 인재를 확보하여 건실한 농촌사회를 건설하는 것을 기본방향으로 삼고 있다. 마을공동사업 조직의 법인화란 마을을 하나의 경영체로 자리매김하고 주민을 구성원으로 하여 농업경영과 부대사업을 통해 수익을 창출하는 농업법인을 설립 운영하는 것을 말한다. 현재 몇 개 마을이 영농조합법인을 설립하여 성공적으로 운영하고 있는데, 이들 마을 단위 영농조합의 경험이 농촌지역 활성화의 모델이 되어 전국에 확산될 것으로 기대된다. 이 연구는 마을 단위로 운영되는 공동사업 조직의 운영 실태와 문제점을 조사 분석하고 그 개선 방안으로서 법인화 방안을 제시하려는 것이다. 특히 마을공동사업법인은 기존의 농업법인과는 다른 성격을 가지므로, 다양한 마을공동사업 조직을 농업법인 제도에 수용하기 위한 개선 방안을 검토하였다.

This study researches on the actual condition and issues of a joint business in rural areas and suggests it with an improved scheme, an incorporated. A joint business at community level is different from a current agricultural corporation system in that the latter is focused on agricultural management. Therefore, it is necessary to consider how to include various types of rural community village business into the agricultural corporation system. Rural areas development policy in Korea has stimulated a community business in rural areas since 2000. Specific development plans such as Farm Experience Village, Rural Areas Traditional Theme, and Community Development Plan are known to inspire residents' community consciousness and to vitalize rural areas' economies by creation of new types of revenue. Based on these benefits, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries(MIFAFF) planned to organize 'Rural Community Business Corporation' as a united concept of a community business(CB) in May 2010. Because the rural community business in rural areas are at its initial stage, this study was focused on case studies and summarized findings from the case studies. The first step for the case studies was to classify a rural community business into an urban-rural interchange, a regional development, a joint agricultural management, etc. Then, the next step performs a comparison between cases which have agricultural corporation system and cases which do not have. Characteristic features of a successful rural community village business are summarized as the following. First, a governmental support catalyzes areas' revenue creation business. Second, a community leader evaluates residents' community consciousness and vitalizes community corporations. Third, an agricultural corporation is established so as to secure a continuation of community business. It is important to clarify an operating regulation because the rural community village business has residents as its members. Specially, the clarification should be focused on a profit share with participants and investors, a expenditure of cost from joint activities, and an establishment of property rights of joint facilities. It is advisable for the rural community village business to be an association corporation which seeks for common benefits rather than a business organization which seeks for profits. The agricultural corporation corresponds with an idea of rural community village business because it has an collaborating business managements. Since the agricultural corporation has characteristics of an agricultural business managements, it is necessary to have a separate corporation for the rural community village business, for example '(a tentative) Rural Community Business Corporation'. It is necessary to provide the current agricultural corporation with a permission to have business to seek for profits such as a weekend farm, a green-tour system, an agricultural recreation business, and a region specific restaurant. Furthermore, it is necessary to alleviate a verification system so as to stimulate community business corporation's role to create jobs for the aged in rural areas.

Researchers: Jeong-Ho Kim, Moon-Ho Park E-mail address: jhkim@krei.re.kr.