Organic agriculture at Hongdong began with the conscious efforts of farmers who were influenced by Japanese experience and the environmental degradation by conventional agriculture in the mid-1970s. Based on their strong conviction, even though the lack of organic technique and information, those farmers started to implement organic agriculture which was beyond the production increase policy at that time. The solidarity among farmers could establish the foundation of organic agriculture through undergoing trial and error. Substantively interchange and communication between farmers and consumers played a prominent role to strengthen the organic agriculture at Hongdong as well.

• 김기흥(충남연구원 농촌농업연구부 책임연구원) | Ki-Hueng Kim Corresponding author