SPOTLIGHT 25/02/22 Korean church promotes organic farming amid challenges

[성기화 요셉]

More than 80 percent of farmers surveyed in South Korea say they do not have a successor to continue their work

Staff members of the Our Farm Sharing Center pose for a photograph with organic produce placed for sale. (Photo: Min Kyung-hwa / Catholic Times of Korea)

By UCA News reporter

Published: July 22, 2025 11:58 AM GMT

Updated: July 22, 2025 12:11 PM GMT

A Church-run center in South Korea works to educate people about the farmers’ efforts to produce organic food, amid increasing challenges of climate change and a lack of interest in farming.

The Church established a center — Our Farm Sharing Center — to promote sustainable agriculture and a life-centered society, and to connect rural farmers with urban citizens.

Lucia Lee Byung-im, a volunteer at one of its “sharing centers,” in Seocho District, located in the national capital Seoul, uses every opportunity to educate customers about the quality of the organic products they sell.

“This corn was grown organically by farmers in the Chuncheon Diocese,” said Lucia as she explained the features of the freshly harvested corn.

“Even though the kernels are small, it is very fragrant and delicious,” Lucia added.

Lucia highlighted the farmers' efforts to produce it, emphasizing to her audience the importance of appreciating their efforts and helping them by buying their produce. 

Lucia wanted more people to join them “in the work of preserving life and the land and walking together on God’s path.”

Church efforts for agricultural revival

The center is a continuation of the efforts initiated by the Catholic Church in Korea in the mid-1990s to aid farmers who faced multiple challenges.

Korean farmers had mounted extensive protests following the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1994.

The Uruguay Round of negotiations led to the subsequent expansion of agricultural imports, which destabilized the country's previously closed agricultural market.

South Korean students, who were also able to maintain a very high level of mobilization power at the time, assisted the farmers’ struggle, according to a report by Bilaterals.

However, due to a lack of support, the protest eventually died out. The eventual reduction of government subsidies and lower rice prices due to competition from imports reduced farmers’ income.

The trade regulations at the time had resulted in sharp fluctuations in agricultural prices, chronic deficits in farming, the exodus and aging of rural populations, and a surge in farmer suicides.

The Seoul Archdiocese launched the Save Our Rural Communities Movement in 1994 to initiate an agricultural revival.

The Church also designated the third Sunday in July as Farmers’ Sunday to reflect on the value of farmers, pray together, and take action.

Practicing organic cultivation amid challenges

An Archdiocesan survey in March 2024 stated that farmers continue to face difficulties 30 years after the movement's establishment in 1994.

Among 328 members of the Catholic Farmers' Association who were surveyed, 80.2 percent (263 respondents) stated that they have no successors in agriculture.

Additionally, some 64.3 percent of respondents identified “the disappearance of rural communities due to the aging of farmers and low birth rates” as the greatest crisis facing agriculture.

Among the respondents, 30.5 percent reported an annual agricultural income of less than 20 million South Korean Won (approximately US$14,411).

Amid all the challenges and the threat posed by climate change, Catholic farmers are still practicing agriculture without the use of chemical fertilizers or herbicides, the survey found.

Close to one-fifth of Catholic farmers (18.6 percent of respondents) reported practicing “life-centered” organic agriculture for the last 11-15 years.

Meanwhile, 18.3 percent of respondents reported practicing sustainable agriculture for 21 to 25 years.

Not just sales of produce

The staff at the sales outlet in Seoul also promote the value of the organic farm produce among the customers.

Gabriela Oh Yoon-kyung, a staff member at the Han River Sharing Center in Yongsan, Seoul, informs customers that reservations are available for purchasing “chicken raised under organic chestnut trees.”

“These chickens are raised outdoors, not in small cages, so they are chewy and delicious,” says Gabriela.

Staff members cum activists like Gabriela and Lucia play a key role in spreading awareness of the efforts put in place by farmers.

Gabriela says she started educating customers about organic food products after receiving education on the Our Farm movement and visiting rural areas to meet farmers.

“I realized that the most important thing is to convey to consumers the mindset with which farmers grow their produce,” Gabriela said.

However, they are not limited to just the sale of the produce.

Gabriela and the others are also tasked with spreading Our Farm communities to each parish and consistently engaging with farmers by visiting rural areas.

This feature is brought to you in partnership with the Catholic Times of Korea.