Book Launch: Agriculture Atlases, Korean Edition

Launch of three newly published Korean editions of agricultural atlases, namely Pesticide Atlas, AgriFood Atlas and Agriculture Atlas, featuring expert presentations, insight sharing and discussions on agricultural policy in South Korea and Europe.

Date: 14 June 2023 (Wednesday)

Time: 3-5pm KST

Venue: Roh Moo-Hyun Civil Center, 73 Changdeokgung-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Language: Korean, with simultaneous interpretation from Korean to English

Target audience: Policy makers, industry, civil society and NGOs in the field of agriculture, representatives of farmers and farmers associations, interested public, media and journalists in South Korea. Non-Korean speaking audience is welcome.

Organisers: Small is Beautiful (SiB) and Heinrich Böll Stiftung Hong Kong

Event description:

No other economic activity is so closely interwoven with the human and natural environment as is agriculture. However, industrial agriculture is responsible for both colossal environmental and climate damage as well as global injustice. Additionally, pesticide negative impact on human health, biodiversity, water and soil is not a new insight by any means. It is high time for a socially and politically oriented regulation of the agrifood industry, a reform in the agriculture policy to protect the environment and the climate, improve animal welfare and promote small and medium-sized sustainable farms, as well as policies to significantly reduce the use of pesticides and support farmers in their transition towards agroecology.

Not only in Europe, South Korea is also facing crises in climate, food and agriculture. Korea’s food and grain self-sufficiency rates in 2021 was about 44.4% and 20.9% respectively. Its import of GMO products is the highest in the world, 215.4kg per capita, and pesticide usage also ranks first in the OECD at 10.5kg/ha. On the other hand, the farmer population is accounted for 4.3% of the total population, and 46.8% of them are over 65 years old. Only 4.6% of farmland is eco-friendly agriculture.

In 2023, the government is pushing 'smart farms' as the 'second agricultural revolution' and reducing the budget for eco-friendly agriculture so-called to respond to the climate crisis. Against this, Korean farmers' movements and civil society movements are creating alternatives by demanding reform to sustainable agriculture and a healthy food system. As a result, the revision of the eco-friendly certification system for environmental protection and the enactment of the Basic Food Act are being discussed.

Co-organised by Small is Beautiful and Heinrich Böll Stiftung Hong Kong office, the event will launch and present three newly published Korean editions of agricultural atlases, namely Pesticide Atlas, Agriculture Atlas and AgriFood Atlas, featuring expert presentations, insight sharing and discussions on agriculture policies and pesticide issues in South Korea and Europe/Germany. Everyone with an interest in agriculture is welcome to participate.

About the atlases:

The Pesticide Atlas reveals facts and data on global pesticide use and trade, its impact on people, their health and biodiversity, and alternative solutions.

The Agriculture Atlas shows facts and data on EU farming policy and illustrates that it is worthwhile pushing for a better, fundamentally different set of agricultural policies.

The Agrifood Atlas provides facts and figures about the corporations that control what we eat and explains why and how the road to a socio-ecologically oriented agricultural and nutritional industry must be taken.

The Korean edition includes a chapter under the context of South Korea.

Speakers:

1. Lena Luig (join online): Head of International Agricultural Policy, hbs headquarter

2. Prof. Kim Eun-Jin 김은진: Professor, Wonkwang University Law School 원광대학교 법학대학원 교수; Director, Korea Rural Society Institute 한국농어촌사회연구소 이사

3. Choi Dong-Geun 최동근: Secretary General, Korea Eco-Friendly Agriculture Association, and Eco-Friendly Agricultural Products Self-Governance Committee 한국친환경농업협회, 친환경농산물자조금관리위원회 사무국장

4. Lee Seung-Gyu 이승규: Director of Quality Control, Hansalim Association 한살림사업연합 품질관리본부장

Registration link and more information:

http://jaga.or.kr/?p=14873