Joy and pride of sprouting seeds

Farming is the practice of planting and cultivating crops by furrowing fields. Farming is the most significant word in my life. I spent my life with microorganisms of the agricultural ecosystem by researching plant pathogenic microorganisms in college, toxic mold in the master’s course, and microorganisms used for pest management in the doctor’s course. Since I founded an agricultural corporation and began crop variety research, I became even closer to farming. I am trying to protect the value of farming with environment-friendly rice farming.

I once saw an epitaph that read “I am a farmer who sows seeds” at a cemetery in a mountain village in Austria. I was moved by the farmer’s pride and self-esteem. While many farmers lived a life of sowing seeds before passing away in South Korea, I’ve never heard of such an epitaph.

Recently, the word ‘agricultural’ has been disappearing at universities. My major, ‘agricultural biology,’ became ‘plant medicine’ while some universities are removing agricultural departments and renaming them by adding words such as ‘bio’ and ‘life science.’

However, views on agriculture have been changing since the COVID-19 pandemic as people are calling for a directional shift to seek sustainability through ecological transformation education in times of climate crisis. In the midst of fast changes driven by urban cities and capital, the buds of hope to keep the world healthy are sprouting.

Working in the agricultural field brings joy and pride of sprouting new seeds every year. I hope to share the true meaning and mission of agriculture, which keeps the basis of the ecosystem alive, with more people.