농지전용의 원인과 영향에 관한 연구

Abstract

농지전용이란 농지를 도시용지·산업용지 등 비농업용으로 사용하는 것을 말한다. 농지를 전용하려면 「농지법」에 따른 농지전용허가 또는 「국토의 계획 및 이용에 관한 법률」의 개발행위허가를 받아야 한다. 3㏊ 이상의 개발은 지구단위계획을 수립하도록 되어 있으나 그 미만은 용도지역별 허용행위인 경우 어떤 지역에서나 필지별로 농지를 전용할 수 있도록 되어 있다. 이리하여 1975∼2011년에 35만 ㏊의 농지가 전용되었다. 이는 같은 기간 감소된 농지면적 54만 ㏊의 65%에 해당되는 면적이다.

농지전용에 대한 상반된 주장이 존재한다. 긍적적인 시각은 농지전용이 도시용지·산업용지의 조달을 위해서는 불가피하며, 농지의 이용 효율을 높이고 농촌지역의 개발 및 활성화에 기여한다고 본다. 부정적인 견해는 농지전용이 반드시 불가피한 것은 아니며, 경지면적 감소와 농지 훼손은 물론 농촌지역 난개발과 투기적 농지소유를 야기한다고 본다. 농지전용의 원인과 영향에 관한 종합적·실증적인 연구가 필요하다.

이 연구의 구성은 다음과 같다. 제1장 서론에 이어 제2장에서는 농지전용 관련 제도의 변천과 현행 제도의 내용 및 문제점, 제3장에서는 농지전용 실적과 과제 및 전망, 제4장에서는 농지전용의 원인, 제5장에서는 농지전용의 영향, 제6장에서는 요약 및 정책제안을 정리하였다.

This study aims at three goals. First, it examines if farmland conversion will lead to quantitative problems in the future. To achieve this goal, the results of farmland conversion in the past and the present are analyzed. Then, the demand of farmland conversion in the future is forecasted through taking several variables into consideration. Second, this study reviews the five causes of farmland conversion including the demand-side factor, institutional factor, land price factor, location factor, and supply-side factor. Third, this study reviews the positive and negative effects of farmland conversion by understanding its influence on farmland, farmers, local areas, and farmland systems. This study consists of six chapters as follows. The first chapter is the introduction of the study, followed by the chapter two summarizing the history and evolution of farmland conversion-related systems, the contents of the current system, and its problems. Chapter three reviews the achievements and challenges of farmland conversion and its prospects. Chapter four examines aforementioned five factors as the causes of farmland conversion. Chapter five explains the effects of farmland conversion on farm management scale, farmland price, farmhouse asset, local economy, and farmland system. Finally, chapter six is the summary of this study, addressing the problems of the proposed elements in the causes and effects of farmland conversion. Their policy directions are also summarized. This study is summarized as follows. From 1975 to 2011, 542,000㏊a of farmland had decreased. Of those, 350,000㏊ decreased by farmland conversion. The annual average size of farmland conversion is estimated to decrease from 17,000㏊ (2007-2011) to 10,000㏊ in 2020. Nevertheless, it still accounts for a large amount, compared to the total farmland areas. The demand of non-farming lands such as urban land and industrial land is generally known to be the reason for the farmland conversion of large areas. In addition to this, however, other various factors also exist. Institutionally the farmland which is extremely less expensive than existing urban land can be converted into non-farmland in all areas. After farmland conversion, its land price surges by at least two to three times, consequently leading to high profit. On the other hand, the compensation for farmland preservation is very little. In some rare cases, proposed business is not allowed without the farmland conversion in certain areas. In addition, currently it is challenging to maintain the farming production due to the low income, the old age of farmers, and few farming successors. The positive effects of farmland conversion may include nonfarm income, increasing assets, job creation, tax revenue, and increased population. However, such cases are rare. Rather, the farmland and the natural scenery close to the converted farmland are damaged or contaminated. Even farming work can be interrupted by the farmland conversion. Furthermore, as farmland prices increase due to the expectation of farmland conversion, the ownership of speculative farmland is expanded. Also, it becomes difficult for farmers to purchase farmland with farm income. Consequently, non-farmers’ ownership of farmland and farmland leases expand. Therefore, this study suggests the direction of policy as follows: ① establishing the principle of restrictive construction and the planned development, ② distributing small-scale farmland conversion and prohibiting farmland conversion in the agricultural development region, ③ reinforcing the redemption of development profit and the compensation for farmland preservation, ④ strengthening the screening of farmland conversion approval, and ⑤ promoting the integrated use of farmland, the organizational management, and the management of agricultural corporations.

Researchers: Seok-Doo Park, Gwang-Seok Chae Research Period: 2013. 1～2013. 10 E-mail Address: sdpark@krei.re.kr