1 Driving Strategies and Mechanical Technologies for Conservation Agriculture in Korea

Agriculture has continued as a life-industry in harmony with the ecosystem by reproduction using solar energy in a material cycle system. Agriculture in Korea, however, has increased environmental load or damage due to intensive production systems with limited natural resources. To solve these problems and realize sustainable agriculture while keeping the balance in ecosystems, Korea has been continuously promoting environmental-friendly agriculture. The long-term goal of reduction in chemical fertilizers and pesticides was set up and pursued, land area and household for environmental-friendly crop production were increased, and amount of certified environmental-friendly agricultural products were increased gradually. As an alternative to realize environmental-friendly agriculture, Korea has been developing technologies related to precision agriculture, and promoting applicable models suitable for Korean situation. Precision agriculture differs from organic agriculture that does not use any chemical agricultural materials, but is expected to settle as a low input sustainable agriculture. This is due to the practical aspects that precision agriculture conducts with regar