치유농업의 목적은 건강회복 및 유지, 증진을 위한 사회적 비용의 절감과 농촌의 활력, 소득원의 창출을 통한 농업‧농촌의 지속가능한 성장에 있다. 이러한 치유농업의 가치는 치유농업 대상자뿐만 아니라 농 업인, 지역사회, 보건서비스 제공자 등 다양한 주체가 혜택을 얻는 데 있다. 이 연구는 치유농업의 지속 가능한 생태계 구축방안을 제시하고자 선행연구를 통해 핵심요인을 도출하여 환경생태적, 사회경제 적 편익, 지역사회발전으로 설정하였다. 또한 각각의 요인은 하위요인으로 구분하여 적합도와 중요도 를 파악하였다. 델파이 조사는 치유농업에 실무와 경험이 풍부한 연구자, 교수, 치유농가 등 전문가 15 명을 대상으로 하였는데 이 중 불성실한 답변을 제외하고 최종 12명을 대상으로 2차에 걸친 조사를 하 였다. 분석결과 치유농업의 지속가능한 생태계 구축을 위한 핵심요인을 도출하였다. 또한 측정영역과 하위요인에 대한 중요도와 적합도 분석결과 7개의 상위요인과 33개 하위요인을 선정하였다. 지역사회 의 다양한 주체와의 교류 활성화를 통해 농업, 의료, 사회, 교육 분야에서 농업의 새로운 대안으로써 치 유농업을 운영할 필요가 있다. 이를 통해 치유농업의 지속가능한 생태계 구축을 위한 정책지원과 기초 적인 방향성을 제시하였다는 점에서 의미가 있다.

집약적 농업시스템으로 특징되는 관행농업은 생산성 증대를 이루었으나, 토질과 수질의 악화 등 농업환경을 오염시키며 농업생태계에 부정적인 영향을 미쳤다. 이 연구의 목적은 농업인의 지속가능농업에 대한 관점과 태도를 파악하고, 새로운 영농방식 실천에 장애가 되는 경제적 요인을 분석하는 데 있다. 아울러 농업인들이 인식하는 경제적 장애요인들에 영향을 미치는 변수들을 실증적으로 추적하는 데 연구의 추가적인 목적이 있다. 농업인들은 지속가능농업이 당면한 가장 중요한 문제로 수익성 유지를 지적하면서 이를 최우선적으로 중점을 두고 해결할 것을 주문하였다. 지속가능농업 채택률을 향상시키기 위해서 경제적 동기와 인센티브의 중요성을 강조하였으며, 과거에 비해 향후 지속가능성을 높게 전망했다. 관행농업인이거나 관행농업에서 지속가능농업으로 전환중인 농업인, 그리고 과거에 지속가능농업을 들어 본 적이 있는 농업인이 주목하는 경제적 장애요인은 관행농업에서 지속가능농업으로 전환 시 초래되는 비용으로 나타났다. 지속가능농업 시스템이 구축되었을 때, 효과적이고 효율적인 운영을 위해 농업인이 주도해야 한다고 인식하는 농업인에게는 새로운 영농방식의 불확실성은 큰 장애가 되지 않은 것으로 분석되었다.

This study argues that expanding the multifunctionality of agriculture (MFA) may mitigate existing agricultural problems. To do that this study redefines the concept and scope of the MFA and presents practical tasks to achieve it. Theorizing the MFA begins with the theory of sustainability and first identifies the link between sustainability and MFA. Later, considering the limitations of the existing sustainability theories, we examined where the false linkages leading to the destruction of environmental and social relations originated, and employed the (Re)productivity [(Re)produktivitat] theory in order to obtain alternatives. Research shows that welfare effects of the MFA on humans and the environment are not less than those derived from the agricultural products supplied to the real market, but the values are not recognized. The absence of proper care and compensation is the basis of agricultural problems in Korea. Therefore, this study acknowledges that the MFA is as much worthy as real agricultural production, and insists that appropriate compensation and care should be given to humans (farmers) and nature (agricultural ecosystem) in order to maintain and expand the MFA. In other words, a virtuous cycle between sustainability and the MFA means that the process spreads sustainable farming methods to expand the MFA, forms social consensus on it, and pays fair remuneration for agriculture from the public sector. Transition to such a virtuous cycle requires re-establishing the definition and scope of the MFA, implementing targeting policy, motivating policy targets, strengthening human capacity, and arranging maturity time.

이 연구는 대학 환경 관련 교양 수강생 41명이 유전자변형농작물(GMO)에 대한 다큐멘터리 시청과 패널토론 후, 지속가능한 농업 측면에서 GMO를 각각 평가하고 비교했다. 그 결과, GMO는 경제적 지속가능성 측면 평가에서는 통계적으로 유의미한 차(p<0.05)가 있었으나, 사회적 지속가능성과 환경적 지속가능성에서는 통계적으로 유의미한 차가 나타나지 않았다. GMO의 경제적 지속가능성에서 다큐멘터리 시청과 패널토론 간 평가 차는 패널토론에서 이공계열(그룹3)과 인문계열(그룹1)/사회계열(그룹2) 간 차에 기인한 것으로, 이는 통계적으로 유의미했다(p<0.01). 다큐멘터리 시청 후 GMO가 경제적 지속가능성이 있다고 평가한 이공계열 학생 중 43%가 패널토론 후에는 경제적 지속가능성이 없다고 평가한 이유는 다음과 같이 나타났다. 첫째, GMO로 식량 생산량은 증가했으나 여전히 식량 부족 문제를 해결하지 못하고 있다. 둘째, 식량 생산 이익이 다국적기업 이익에만 치중되어 있다. 셋째, 농작물 독과점 문제가 생길 수 있기 때문이다. 이는 향후 GMO 기술이 경제·사회·환경과의 유기적인 관계 속에서 지속가능한 농업을 지원하는 방향으로 나아가야 함을 함의한다.

This study analyzes the factors affecting farmers’ recognition and acceptance of sustainable agriculture. To accomplish the objectives of the study a farm survey was conducted using target respondents which were made of the local correspondents and reporters of Korea Rural Economic Institute. The Heckman's model was employed for an empirical analysis on determining the extent of farmers’ acceptance of sustainable agriculture. The analysis results show that the more farmers think it is important for Korea to adopt sustainable farming practices, the more they adopt sustainable agriculture. It is also shown that the high incomes farmers earn, the more interest they have in the environment and thus the more likely they are to adopt sustainable agriculture. Based upon the empirical results it is suggested that an adoption of economic incentive instruments, education of sustainable agriculture, research and development of sustainable agriculture technology, and an establishment of sustainable agriculture infrastructure to expand the scale of sustainable agriculture.

The objective of this study is to analyze the properness, effectiveness and sustainability on the large-scale environment-friendly agricultural districts (LEAD). For this, we survey 11 public officers who manage the LEAD. Most of them aware necessities of LEAD project. They have a higher satisfaction and think that the project affect ripple effect and contribution on environment-friendly agriculture. Main performance expected of the LEAD project is a spread of natural circulation agriculture in connection with cultivation and stockbreeding. For continuance of environment-friendly agriculture after the project, it is necessary to find markets of products. Also policy making related with environment-friendly agricultural technique is required. The results of this study show that the LEAD project need a modification based on field and change of agricultural issues.

Agriculture plays a vital role in the sustenance of human society and is the fundamental of developing economies. Nitrogen is one of the most critical inputs that define crop productivity. To ensure better value for investment as well as to minimize the adverse impacts of the accumulative nitrogen species in environment, improving nitrogen use efficiency of crop plants is of key importance. Efforts have been made to study the genetic and molecular biological basis as well as the biochemical mechanisms involved in nitrogen uptake, assimilation, translocation and remobilization in crops and model plants. This review gives an overview of metabolic, enzymatic, genetic and biotechnological aspects of nitrogen uptake, assimilation, remobilization and regulation. This review presents the complexity of nitrogen use efficiency and the need for an integrated approach combining physiology, quantitative trait genetics, system biology, soil science, ecophysiology and biotechnological interventions to improve nitrogen use efficiency.

The dramatic increase in population accompanied by rapid industrialization in developing countries including China has caused imbalances in the supply of food and energy. To cope with these global crises over food and energy supplies as well as environmental problems, it is urgently required to develop industrial GM crops to be grown in marginal lands including desertification and polluted lands for sustainable agriculture. Recently we developed several tansgenic crops such as sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) expressing genes of both Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase in the chloroplasts under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter (referred to SSA plants). SSA plants showed a strong tolerance to oxidative stress caused bythe application of methyl viologen (MV, paraquat), a ROS-generating non-selective herbicide. SSA sweetpotato plants showed higher tolerance to chilling stress than non-transgenic (NT) plants, whereas SSA potato plants showed higher tolerance to high temperature. SSA sweetpotato plants showed a strong tolerance to the application of sulfur dioxide (500 ppb) compared to NT plants. Enhanced tolerance of transgenic crops expressing NDP kinase 2 in cytosols under SWPA2 promoter (SN plants) to environmental stress will be introduced. In addition, the strategies for sustainable agriculture in marginal areas will be discussed

This study intends to review the sustainable agriculture and rural development concepts and practices and to present their directions toward better rural planning. Review of related literature including use of available documents and field visits both in Korea and overseas countries are two main methods of data collection with no quantitative analysis. Before sustainable (rural) development was fashionably used in the 1990s in the world, sustainable agriculture and other similar terminologies such as organic farming, alternative agriculture, low-input sustainable agriculture, natural farming, and environment-friendly farming are considered important in the academics as well as In action. The significant relationship between farmers' engagement in sustainable farming and their participation in voluntary social organizations is evidenced, so that it might be said that sustainable agriculture be the basis of sustainable rural development. Whether in sustainable agriculture or in sustainable rural development, the sustainable rural economy is considered more important toward better rural planning both in Korea and in the world.