Studies on Change of Organic Farming in Korea from ($1907{\sim}2007$)

한국 유기농업 100년($1907{\sim}2007$)의 변화에 관한 연구

  • Published : 2007.12.31

Abstract

Korean organic farming has been well developed over the last two decades. It demonstrates that the number of certificated farm for organic agriculture and products have been drastically increased in recent year. However, the organic farmers have thought that organic farming rely only on organic fertilizer and they don't keep organic farming principle in which organic farmer should enhance biological activity and crop rotation. This study was to compare nutrient input, recommendation, cropping system and organic product circulation between the early $20^{th}$ century and beginning of the $21^{st}$ century. The population of Korea has increased 7.3 times more than that of a century ago but cultivated land has been decreased during 100 years. The rice production in 2002 was 4.2 times higher than that of production in 1912. The input of N, P and K in 1907 on the basis of King's suggestion was 95.6kg/ha, 15.9kg/ha and 3.0kg/ha, respectively. Nitrogen came from excreta (40%), green manure (55%) and compost (5%) in the early 20th century. On the other hand, organic farmer input organic resources such as wood chip (30.1%), compost (27.8%), rice straw (14%) and others (25%) these days. In terms of nutrient balance calculated nutrient and absorption by plants, organic rice farmer apply excessive nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil. They was used to put $7{\sim}10$ times more nitrogen than that of a century ago. Nutrient recommendation was similar in N and P between early 20th century and early $21^{st}$ century. Farmers in both century did not rotate crops in the field. Today, organic farmers engaged in more continuous cultivation than in early 20th century. Farmers in the early $20^{th}$ century produced locally, consumed locally the agricultural products, but organic farmers in the $21^{st}$ century produce the organic product in the local farmland and consumed in the large city and also a lot of foreign organic products have been imported in recent year.

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