Development of the Agricultural Research and Extension System of Korea and Its Implications for Eurasian Countries

Abstract

South Korea, which suffered from severe hunger and poverty after the Korean War (1950~1953), has achieved self-sufficiency in supply of rice, a staple crop, since the early 1970s with the success of research and development, and extension services in the agricultural sector. The country has unique characteristics in its Agricultural Extension Services (AES), currently organized as the Rural Development Administration (RDA), compared to other countries and they have brought about significant success in improving agricultural productivity and efficiently providing developed technologies to farmers. This study has been performed to study AES in Eurasian countries as well as the development of the agricultural extension system of Korea in order to share the successful factors that enabled South Korea to accomplish such success in the agricultural R&D and technology distribution.

South Korea, which suffered from severe hunger and poverty after the Korean War (1950~1953), has achieved self-sufficiency in supply of rice, a staple crop, since the early 1970s with the success of research and development, and extension services in the agricultural sector. The country has unique characteristics in its Agricultural Extension Services (AES), currently organized as the Rural Development Administration (RDA), compared to other countries and they have brought about significant success in improving agricultural productivity and efficiently providing developed technologies to farmers. This study has been performed to study AES in Eurasian countries as well as the development of the agricultural extension system of Korea in order to share the successful factors that enabled South Korea to accomplish such success in the agricultural R&D and technology distribution.