SEOUL (UCAN): The Catholic Farmers Association [CFA] is promoting organic farming as an eco-friendly remedy to the food shortage caused by the climate crisis in the Korean peninsula.
The CFA, established in 1966 in Archdiocese of Gwangju, has developed an environmental conservation-type sustainable agriculture and consumption method they call “life agriculture,” the Gwangju Catholic Peace Broadcasting Company reported.
The term “life agriculture” means life-saving agriculture employing eco-friendly farming methods to safely produce food.
“We do life agriculture because we must live, nature must live, and agriculture must continue for future generations. We say that it is for the preservation of the creative order, but in the end, humans must do life agriculture to survive,” said Gyeongho Kim, vice president of the CFA.
We do life agriculture because we must live, nature must live, and agriculture must continue for future generations. We say that it is for the preservation of the creative order, but in the end, humans must do life agriculture to survive
Gyeongho Kim
A prolonged drought on the Korean Peninsula is seen as a result of climate change and is contributing, along with inflation, to soaring commodity prices and food shortages.
Eight cities were reported to be on the verge of serious drought and 11 cities were placed under cautionary alert by the government as per the National Drought Information Portal of Korea.
Neighbouring North Korea has also raised the alarm as it braced itself to face the worst expected drought in 40 years.
The quality and quantity of agricultural produce have been affected due to drought, resulting in lower yields and an increase in prices. The prices of food items for daily consumption have risen exponentially compared to 2021.
The price of vegetables such as onions increased by 99 per cent in June 2022 in comparison to the same period in 2021, reported Arirang News.
Inflation in Korea reached a 24-year high in June at six per cent and may touch seven per cent, as per the Statistics Korea report. This has resulted in an increase in crude oil, commodity prices, and the price of consumer goods.
The nation also faced wildfires that destroyed approximately 16,755 hectares of forest, equivalent to the size of 23,466 soccer fields, in Uljin and nearby coastal regions in March
The nation also faced wildfires that destroyed approximately 16,755 hectares of forest, equivalent to the size of 23,466 soccer fields, in Uljin and nearby coastal regions in March.
According to the Korea Forest Service, 236 forest fires have broken out across the nation so far this year, 2.4 times more than in previous years, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
The CFA is relentlessly working to create a sustainable farming environment by raising awareness among producers and consumers, accustomed to the mass production, distribution, and consumption ecosystem that recklessly destroys the environment.
It has been promoting the rights of South Korean farmers for decades and opposes the use of chemicals and hybrid seeds for commercial gain, and also the government’s attempts to import food items instead of supporting farming communities.
It has also been vocal against the slashing of farmland for large-scale industrialisation and urbanisation.
