[Contribution] Development of soybeans and the future of agriculture, the remaining tasks

Kim Gi-young, Head of the Upland Crop Development Division at the National Institute of Crop Science, Rural Development Administration The agricultural sector is currently facing a dual challenge of labor shortages and climate change. Particularly, the lack of manpower due to an aging population has made the mechanization of farming operations essential, which is also bringing changes to the rice-centered crop cultivation methods. Among these, the development and distribution of soybean varieties that can be mechanically harvested in paddy fields are being highlighted as an important key to simultaneously solving the three tasks of stabilizing rice supply and demand, expanding non-rice crops, and responding to climate change. With the government's policy to encourage the cultivation of non-rice crops and the success of soybean variety development, the cultivation area expanded significantly from 54,000 ha in 2021 to 74,000 ha in 2024, and the self-sufficiency rate also rose ...