Small Farms in Korea

This year was declared the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF). The Catholic Times has an article on the importance of family farming to reduce poverty and improving the supply of food. There are no signs that we are winning the battle against hunger in the world.

 

To help those who are hungry, our first thoughts are to invest more money to expand the production of food. However, the big farming conglomerates and Agri-food companies with their neo liberalism (the free market) is to permit monopolies and oligopolies (were a number of sellers monopolize the market) to hurt the poor and increase poverty.

 

Those who know the problems of the farm in Korea are concerned with the continual opening of the markets to foreign imports which will do much harm to Korean  farms. With the change in the climate and the relaxation of farm imports to the country, the fear of the farmer is great.

 

The article states that there are about 2 and  a half billion small farmers using 10 percent of the arable land and  producing 20 percent of the food.

 

If we want to feed for a healthy world, the article mentions we have to discontinue using genetically modified organisms (GMO), chemical farming, and factory type  animal raising. This is what is hurting the environment and the health of our citizens.

 

One professor said: the respect we should have for farming and for food is being destroyed, and farming and food are alienated from the natural environment in which we live, threatening  the security of our food supply. Family farms will help keep the ecological balance that we need, help maintain food sufficiency, the native seeds, variety of foods and keep the order given to us at creation.

 

Within society, we have different movements that continue to propose and give help in a variety of ways. The Catholic 'Save Our Farm Movement' is one that is helping with support and building bridges between the city and the farms. The small farm movement  preserves traditional food products, health of the citizens, the wise use of natural resources, energizes the local economies and the health of the communities.