The development of organic agriculture technology and its application in Korea

Korean organic farming started in the mid-‘70s by some pioneering farmers. Since the Environment-Friendly Agriculture Fosterage Act started in 1997, the government became actively involved in organic R&D, dissemination and certification. With these results, organic agriculture in Korea was well developed over the last two decades. It demonstrates that the number of certified farm for organic agriculture and products has drastically increased in recent years. The Korean organic food market grew at an astonishing rate of over 100% through 2000, and during the last five years, has maintained an average growth rate of 50%. The organic market is predicted to climb to $6 billion by 2020. Organic food now represents a 10% share of the total agricultural products market, which suggests that organic products have entered into the mainstream consumer market. Organic agriculture division belongs to the Department of Agricultural Environment in NAAS (National Academy of Agricultural Science) and was the key role in the development and dissemination of organic agriculture technology. The internet also has an important role in the dissemination of organic agriculture technology in Korea. Farmers and consumers have the same opportunities to get information about organic agriculture technology, news, maintenance system via cyberspace.