Factors Required to Sustain Pastoral Farming Systems and Forage Supply In Winter-Cold Zones in Korea

한국의 동계한냉지역에 있어서 초지개발과 조사료 공급의 활성화에 필요한 요인

The area of grassland established and the arable land in forage production have been decreased recently in Korea. As a result, forages available from the grassland and the arable land provided only 40% of the total roughage consumed by cattle in 1991, compared with 54% in 1989. The decreasing trend of the forage production has been impinged on by a number of legislative. socio-economic. technical and other constraints negatively affecting grassland and forage development. Consequently. effective systems and strategies are quite necessary to have sustainable grassland farming in Korea. In spring and autumn, temperatures are too low for subtropical forage crops, and the summer monsoon climate is another serious limitation to the use of cool-season species. Therefore it is an imperative that not only the research-based grassland development but also the forage crop production should be strongly supported by the government authorities to overcome such climatic limitations. Private forest land holdings are of relatively small units in Korea. Accordingly. it is necessary and important to enlarge the forest land holdings per farm to develop as economic units of grassland. For this the government should introduce new policy measures such as for example: long-term leases of Sorest land and the idle arable land of absentee owners ; rational rental system of national and public forest lands; integrating livestock and forest production. All the laws and regulations standing in the way of the grassland development in forest lands should be modified and revised to open the way for much easier development of grassland. It is also proposed that a high level of financial incentives -hould be provided for structural improvements for the grassland development. They may be: mechanization facilitation, construction of new roads relating to grassland, and land exchange and consolidation. And it is basically necessary that financial enumeration or profits must be garanteed in order to motivate farmers to keep up farming continuously. For more efficient grassland development in mountainous areas, reorganization of Alpine Experiment Station and NAB1 Namwon Branch Station may be needed. Research should be strengthened for completion of pasture mixtures, development of maximum forage production methods with a view to saving labor and reducing production costs, introduction of grazing and forage conservation techniques. and utilization of rice straw as more palatable and nutritious forage source. In order to have more efficient and effective transfer of advanced forage production technologies to livestock farmers the user-clients. it is also essential that special training measures should be given to livestock farmers through making greater use of specialized research and extension workers.