As the climate gets warmer and warmer, the international society further tightens the environmental restrictions with international regulations for international cooperation in order to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs). Under such changing circumstances in Korea and other countries, the Korean government presented 'low carbon green growth' to cope with climate change and energy crisis as a preemptive measures. In this note, it is necessary to present fruitful practical strategies for promoting green growth through in-depth analysis in order to successfully implement master plan for green growth. The purpose of research is to present a systematic, step-by-step and fruitful strategy for promoting green growth in agriculture by further examining the direction of discussion in Korea and other countries concerning green growth.
The major findings of this study are summarized as follows:
First, the amount of emitted GHG in the agricultural sector occupies 2.9% of the gross amount of emitted GHG. The BAU figure in 2020 was estimated to reduce the figure by 0.5% as compared to the number in 2005, in accordance with the guideline for calculating the amount of emitted GHG of IPCC. This is higher than -4.0% which is a target figure for national GHG reduction and implies that it is necessary to take measures for reducing and absorbing GHG in the agricultural sector, e.g., technology of reducing emitted GHG from farmland, technology of storing organic carbon in soil, technology of improving enteric fermentation of ruminant livestock, and etc.
Second, the assessment of green growth policy in the agricultural sector showed that green growth means have been properly combined, but it is necessary to develop policy programs to be able to achieve fruitful outcomes of green growth and to effectively supply green technology. The assessment of green growth in the agricultural sector for the detailed tasks to be promoted in the sector showed that it is necessary to include policy means to embody the tasks, policies and systems related to green growth in current rural districts.
Third, the survey of farmers' and specialists' recognition of green growth showed high, and positive for combined promotion of environmental conservation and economic growth. They said 'furthering biomass energy' and 'spreading and supplying green technology' should be first driven policies. In addition, they evaluated it is important 'to enhance preventive measure to cope with climate change' and 'drive the project of creating eco-friendly agricultural districts'.
Fourth, diagnosis of current policy integration associated with green growth on the basis of specialists' investigation, policy integration theory and related data showed that it is necessary to set the basic direction of agricultural administration in which economy and environment is harmonized and balanced for integrating green growth related policies, and to enhance the policy promotion system for policy integration. It is indicated that the budget system related to outcome management and mid- and long-term plans are not satisfactory, and there is needed an assessment system for green growth contribution to a specific policy.
Fifth, analysis of organic agriculture which is the key project of green growth and of eco-efficiency of geothermal heat pumps to measure the level of green growth showed that organic agriculture was higher than conventional agriculture by 32.0 and the geothermal heat pump was higher than the petroleum heater by 5.1. Analysis of technical efficiency of organic rice farming to compare it with the eco-efficiency index showed that higher technical efficiency groups had higher eco-efficiency indices as well.
Sixth, analysis of green productivity in the agricultural sector by means of the carbon productivity index showed increasing carbon productivity. However, this results from the reduced amount of nitrogen fertilizer due to the reduced area for cultivating rice and from the increased GDP due to the increase in pig farming, and is not the type of green growth resulting from applying green technology. This implies that there is a need of green growth by reducing the amount of applied nitrogen fertilizer per cultivation area, and by technology of reducing GHG from ruminant livestock, and etc.
Seventh, it is necessary to develop low carbon policy programs associated with income increase with respect to farming related to GHG reduction or absorption for green growth in the agricultural sector, and feasible programs for reducing GHG, e.g., using the carbon trading system. Exemplary very useful green technology includes vertical farms for producing farm products as produced in factories through the supercritical fluid system for eco-efficiently producing food, energy, raw chemicals and products from geothermal, LED and biogas plants and biomass resources which can reduce energy costs and environmental load, through high-tech environmental control and automation. Green technology should accompany appropriate green finance support which can reduce risk because it initially needs high-cost investment.




Researchers: Chang-Gil Kim, Hak-Kyun Jeong, Yoon-Hyung Kim, Jeong-Kyung Jang and Tae-Hoon Kim
E-mail address: changgil@krei.re.kr