Abstract
Self-sufficiency ratio of food crops in Korea is estimated under $20{\%}$ in 2010 because total food consumption including feed will be increased. but food grain production will be decreased. It is necessary to maintain the optimum level of food self-sufficiency rate to secure national food demand/supply balance and non-trade and multiple function of agriculture in Korea. It will be possible to produce more food grains having the acceptable quality if the appropriate policy and cropping techniques are developed and practised in future. Breeding for high yielding varieties should be the first target to raise the production potential of food crops . Number of varieties developed during last 30 years is counted as 353 in food crops. New varieties developed in 1990s showed the higher yield potential and the improved agronomic characteristics compared with 1970s and 1980s varieties. But number of varieties planted on the farmer's field over $5{\%}$ of national planting area is less than one third of total varieties developed Breeding efforts to maintain planting area of main food crops should be focussed on consumer's demand and farmer's need. They are the best quality variety in each field of crop utilization, the newly designed variety adapting to changes of natural, rural and cropping environment, and the higher yielding variety. It is also needed to develop new quality crop varieties for inducing more consumption of crop grain produced in Korea for direct food or processing. Development of barley varieties for animal feed. high income soybean varieties, high quality wheat variety. and super yielding rice and barley varieties are also needed to keep or maximize national food production potential. In order to establish the appropriate cropping technique for domestic food security, the strong and continuous interest and financial support on crop breeding are required, and the inter-disciplinary and inter-institutionary researches should be strengthened for successful crop breeding.
