Korean Natural Farming (KNF) involves collecting and culturing indigenous microorganisms (IMO) and reintroducing them into an agro ecosystem, which has been managed by people. Nutrients from various composts are applied to a plant using a foliar spray to minimize the use of off-farm inputs (Park and DuPonte, 2008).
This farming approach has been extensively
promoted by Han-Kyu Cho and his followers (Cho and Cho, 2010; Drake, 2012).
This farming approach maximizes the use of on-farm resources, recycles farm waste, and minimizes external inputs while fostering soil health and is gaining popularity among farmers in Hawai‘i that are interested in sustainable agriculture. KNF has been practiced for decades in Asia and was introduced to Hawaii in 1999 (http://www.thainaturalfarming.com/), and has been adopted by several farmers in Hawai‘i. However, scientific evidence of the benefits of KNF has been limited. This article will provide links to information about:
- the basic procedure to cultivate IMO and apply this compost,
- preparation of foliar sprays used in KNF practice, and
- will summarize results from three field trials that compared KNF to conventional farming that uses synthetic chemicals or to organic farming
The downloadable PDF link above beautifully describes Korean Natural Farming and provides further resources and links for Korean Natural Farming.
Whenever I look for 'science based' research papers or peer reviewed studies, I use scholar.google.com
There are actually more and more studies being conducted in regards to Korean Natural Farming. Anymore Natural Farming is being considered internationally by farmers as a legitimate sustainable farming method and the increase of studies for it speaks volumes Korean Natural Farming and its overall promise to provide better sustainability to the average farmer worldwide.
Why not look to Korea itself to better understand why this cultural farming practice/phenomenon has spread like wildfire.
Apparently, in Korea pesticides are such a big deal, that people simply grow organically just to avoid pesticides.
Overexposure to the high degree of chemicals and pesticides in Korean foods has resulted in skin diseases in children and a high rate of cancer, says Seoul Eats.
That simple fact has raised the awareness of chemicals in growing food products.
Korea has seen a shift in awareness of the quality of its produce lately after the Korean Organic Farmers Association (KOFA) reported a high quantity of pesticides used during farming procedures. The misuse has led to the government projection of expending half of the current amount of chemicals in the future. This recent discourse has exposed issues in organic farming in Korea to a wider audience and prompted implications to better suit the county’s unique landscape and improve economic and environmental sustainability…..
“What was striking is that the majority of the farmers were not practicing organic farming for the sake of higher profits, nor because they were seeking to follow sound farming practices. A sizable number of farmers opted for organic farming simply to avoid the dangers involved in using pesticides,” says Hong….
A chart compiled by a joint survey by the Korean Rural Education Institute (KREI) in 1990 and ASI in 1992 suggests the top reasons of adopting organic farming by Korean farmers was to avoid the dangers of pesticides and the encouragement by KOFA.
Source
It's no wonder Natural Farming practices have emerged in Korea as an exciting way to farm without the use of pesticides.
However, there is a much deeper history to Korean Natural Farming that involves providing independence to the Land Owning Farmer in order to prevent unnecessary price gouging and land grabbing from authoritarian governments.
A gentleman by the name of Master Cho revolutionized and created this method of farming.
It all started with a thought from the brain of a guy called Cho Han-Kyu, or Master Cho as he is most commonly known. He was born in the year 1935 in Suwon, South Korea. Up to the age of 29, he worked on his family’s farm, from which he then went to study natural farming techniques in Japan, under the tutelage of three teachers: Miyozo Yamagashi, Kinshi Shibata, and Yasushi Oinoue…
When he returned to South Korea, Master Cho combined his learnings in Japan with more traditional Korean techniques of farming, particularly fermentation (think kimchi, but for plants). His ideas were first put into practice in 1966 when he set up the ‘Labour Saving Abundant Harvesting Study Group.’ After years of experience and a few shenanigans along the way, he set up Natural Farming Life School and Research Farm in 1995...
Master Cho was incarcerated a few times by his government, under pressure from big agricultural companies who did not see eye to eye with his teachings. Considering that most of his teachings meant that a farmer could rely on the natural world around them, and not what they bought off a shelf, it is no wonder why. These setbacks did not put him off, however, and he continued his work despite their best efforts to silence him…
...he set up Natural Farming Life School and Research Farm in 1995. The school has since trained over 18,000 people in the finer arts of KNF. Farmers in Hawaii, surprisingly, were some of the quickest to pick up the idea and run with it.
Source
There are various organizations under the name Cho Global Natural Farming that can help anyone regionally. Most notably
In the USA
https://www.naturalfarming.co/
In Hawaii
https://choglobalnaturalfarminghawaii.org/
In India
http://cgnfindia.com/
(This website actually is very well put together for information)
YouTube Channels
https://www.youtube.com/c/ChrisTrumpSoilSteward
https://www.youtube.com/c/PureKNFDrake
https://instagram.com/soilsteward?igshid=ppgsivuyiq2t
I will make my next post about an online class that is now available worldwide to anyone with a internet connection that will better help the average farmer to start Natural Farming today, from one of Master Cho's highly accredited students Chris Trump, who I also had the pleasure of attending his 5 day workshop in Boise, Idaho in 2017.
https://www.naturalfarming.co/ncs/
My personal instagram page focused on Korean Natural Farming:
You can reach me there and see other inputs I am currently working on as well.
