The Review of Agricultural Geography on Korea, Part Two ; the Outcomes and Critiques of Location Studies.

한국(韓國) 농업지리학(農業地理學)의 연구동향(硏究動向) II ; 농업(農業) 입지연구(立地硏究)의 성과(成果)와 비판(批判)

As Korean traditional peasant farming has come to a commercialization since 1970s, the spatial structure of Korean agriculture also has been gradually restructured by principle of not subsistance but economy. This epochal transformation of agriculture and its spatial structure in Korea are comparable with the first agricultural revolution in Europe. Facing this turning point, it is essential to redefine the nature and significance of agricultural geography in Korea through the review of the outcomes of about 200 studies published since 1950s in Korea of which twelve is concerned with locational analysis. The purpose of this study is to review the trend and characteristics of location studies on Korean agriculture. Major findings are as follows: (1) Since 1950s the location studies of agriculture recorded only 12 papers which occupy no more than 6% of studies of agricultural geography in Korea. This fewness suggests that the location study of agriculture in Korea is yet at the stage of beginning. (2) In spite of the fewness the studies, carried out mainly in 1980s, contributed considerably to clarify the locational characteristics of Korean agriculture especially in the spatial variations of crops, dairy farming and cropping system, the impacts of agricultural labors, the location strategy of mountain agriculture, and the responses of farmers to hazard. (3) In approach and methodology, two thirds of the studies has taken traditional empiricist view and other, positivist. And most studies adopted classic and neo-classic locational theories as their theoretical base in description and explanation. In degree of development, the location studies of agriculture in Korea seems to be about 20 years delayed compared to that of the advanced countries in terms of approach and methodology. (4) Such tradition of the location studies reflects not only the conservative nature of agricultural geography of Korea but also the early stage of capitalism of Korean agriculture.

본 연구는 해방이후 한국의 농업 지리학 연구 동향의 일환으로 농업 입지 연구의 성과와 의의를 밝히고 비판 한 것이다. 농업지리학 연구의 정수라고 일컬어지는 농업 입지 연구가 한국의 경우 활성화 되지 못하고 있는 것은 농업 공간의 협소성의에도 한국농업지리학의 후진성과 관련이 있다. 다만 연구건수가 매우 제한적이긴 하나 농작물, 낙농, 작부체계, 농업 노동, 산지 농업, 농업 재해등의 입지 연구에서는 상당한 성과를 거두고 있는 것도 사실이다. 또 이들 연구는 한국의 농업공간이 전통사회공간에서 경제공간으로 변화 된지가 비교적 최근인 사설을 반영한 것이 대부분이다. 앞으로의 농업입지 연구는 거시적으로는 국민경제나 세계 경제와 관련된 연구, 미시적으로는 농민이나 농가수준에서의 연구, 지역적으로는 도시와의 관계나 지역농업연구가 강화될 필요가 있다.