농업·농촌의 공익증진을 위한 선택형공익직불제 운용방향

Abstract

문재인 정부는 농정개혁을 이끌어내는 시발점이자 주요한 농정과제로 직접지불제 개편을 추진하였다. 그동안 몇 차례 직접지불제 개편시도가 모두 무산되었으나 2020년 공익직불제 개편이 완료되어 시행에 들어갔다. 공익직불제의 성과를 평가하기에는 다소 성급하지만, 제도개편으로 그동안 문제제기가 되었던 논과 밭의 형평성 문제와 규모에 따른 형평성 문제는 많이 완화된 것으로 나타났다. 아울러 직불금 예산 증액으로 농가의 소득 향상에 기여한 것으로 평가된다. 하지만 제도를 시행하면서 다양한 제도 개선 요구사항들이 제기되었는데 공익직불제 안착을 위한 단기 개선과제와 중장기적으로 개선해야 할 과제들이었다. 이 중 공익직불제의 중장기 발전을 위해 가장 중요하게 제기된 것이 선택형공익직불제 개편 미흡과 확대요구이다.이 연구는 농업·농촌의 공익기능 증진이라는 공익직불제로의 제도 개편 취지에 부합하도록 선택형공익직불제의 확대방안을 모색하기 위해 수행되었다. 선택형 공익직불제 확대를 위해 제도 개편방향과 추진체제, 운용방향을 큰 틀에서 제시하였다.

Background and Purpose ○The revised direct payments for enhancing public benefit have been in action since May 2020 after the legislative bill was passed by the National Assembly at the end of 2019 and related Presidential decree was revised from January and to May in 2020. The revision is considered successful in improving fairness between rice paddies and dry fields, and raising farmer’s’ income and satisfaction for policy. However, there are still various requests for improvements that are not reflected yet. The revised direct payment scheme focuses more on basic direct payments. The optional direct payments for public benefit, which is more directly related to public beneficial functions of agriculture, were not significantly changed, so it is pointed out the necessity of revising and expanding the optional payment scheme. Thus this study studies the ways to modify the optional direct payments for public benefit to correspond to the purpose of the direct payments to increase public benefits. It also suggests managing directions of the optional direct payments to enhance public benefits of agriculture and rural communities.Research Methodology ○This study uses literature review, survey, statistical data analysis, and commissioned manuscripts written by external experts. Previous literature review and statistical data analysis investigate the operational state of direct payments for public benefit and reflection of improving requests, check the scope and role of optional payments, and identify their achievements and limitations, in order to derive basic directions for revision. Moreover, the review of previous discussions about the optional scheme and the survey of experts is used to suggest directions for modifying and operating the scheme. To suggest operational directions, this study surveys farm households participating in the program to conserve the agricultural environment, closely linked to the optional payments, and conducts quantitative analysis. Lastly, this study investigates similar foreign and domestic payment programs and uses survey results to suggest a managing system for the optional scheme and the role of operating entities. (For more information, please refer to the report.)