The objectives of the study were to. 1) explain the seriousness of environmental problems and the importance of environmental education in rural development , and 2) explore more effective and efficient ways of environmental education for agriculture and rural development in Korea. The world has rapidly changed and concepts such as clientele -centered, efficiency, and globalization are flowing under this change. Agriculture or rural development is not an exception. In order for agriculture as an occupation and rural communities to have competitiveness in efficiency and attractiveness, it is important to develop and execute a well-planned program for agriculture and rural development. Otherwise, farmers and rural inhabitants will continue to leave the agriculture and rural areas. Frequent recent reports of newspapers on nit and water pollution, including nutrients and pesticides have brought attention to the seriousness of environmental problems in Korea. Environmental concerns should consider in planning and executing the rural development program. People want to get contamination-free foods, water and fresh air. They can and are willing to pay their money for high quality food, water and a better living environment, as their incomes have been increasing, Agriculture and rural communities may have competitiveness in these aspects. It is irony that environmental concerns makes the possibility of changes in agriculture and rural development in Korea. Environmental education will have an increasingly important role in agriculture and rural development. Environmental problems relate to the human behavior in various aspects. Many environmental problems are mainly rooted to people's ignorance and spending-habits, and lack of technology related to environment. These human behaviors are the focus that environmental education should teach and change. Environmental education has been carried out through various subjects in school education in Korea, but "Environment" in middle school and "Environmental Science" in high school were separated as a regular subject from 1996. Environmental education still has a lot of room for development from a theoretical frame work. Environmental education should be carried out as action-oriented, student-centered programs. Various teaching materials, programs and proper supporting budget should be developed so that environmental education fulfills its necessary role well in agriculture and rural development. A textbook about the environment alone will not guarantee a high quality environmental education.

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