Korean Farmers and the Internet

Chan-Ho Choi*, National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, Korea, 2001-06-01

Many farmers in Korea are beginning to use computers and the Internet. In 1999, 24% of farm households, a total of 326,000 households, were using computers. The level of use among farmers is lower than in Korean urban households, more than half of which have a computer. However, it is high compared to farmers in most Asian countries - or indeed, in the world.

The high level of computer use among Korean farmers is the result of a government program to promote the use of information technology throughout the nation. Korea has a strong agricultural cooperative movement, the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF). It is working with other agencies to promote computer use in rural areas of Korea.

The first step is to supply farmers with computers they can afford. NACF has made a contract with one of Korea's largest PC manufacturers to provide a standardized good-quality computer at a price 20% lower than the current market price. NACF also has a program for collecting used computers in cities and sending them to rural areas for use by farmers.

Korean Farmers and the Internet

The second step is to teach farmers how to use their new computers. NACF has been mobilizing teams of student volunteers. They go to rural areas and hold computer classes for farmers. In 2001, NACF selected 30 model agricultural cooperatives to act as information service centers for local people. The government is building up the IT infrastructure, so that even remote rural areas have a good Internet connection. Local governments are also holding computer classes for adults in towns and villages.

However, in spite of all the training courses, it is the children who are the first to learn how to use computers. As in families everywhere in the world, the children quickly master a range of computer skills. They then pass these on to their parents.

Use of Computers in Farming

The reason most Korean farmers buy computers is not for their farming, but for their children. However, once they have bought a computer, many of them are finding it a useful source of information. The Korean government is providing a range of agricultural information services on the Web. These include a marketing information system for farmers, and an expert system called the Farming Knowledge Management System.

Farmers themselves are beginning to provide web-based information resources. The number of web sites constructed by farmers rose from 650 in 1999, to an impressive 1400 in 2000. Farmers in Goksung, in Jeonnam Province, have established a website which provides farming information. (You can see it at www.gsfarm.com but it is in Korean only). NACF helped them in this task, together with a number of local computer enthusiasts and the local government.

Problems

The main problem for farmers who use computers for agricultural information is the lack of content. There has not yet been enough time to build up the full range of the web-based information resources which Korean farmers need.

Future Outlook

Computers are useful because they give farmers better access to farming technology. This helps make their farming more efficient.

Another important use is marketing information. On-line databases can provide farmers with current market prices for a wide range of agricultural commodities. In the short term, this helps them to decide where and when to market their produce. In the long term, it helps them to decide what crops to plant. Another interesting new opportunity is e-marketing, in which farmers and consumers use the Internet to contact each other directly and open new marketing channels.

Index of Images

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  Figure 1 Computer in Korean Farm Household