The Importance and Multifunctions of Korean Paddy Fields

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced in 2001 that the overall amount of paddy land set aside for rice will be cut down by 12% by 2005, decreasing from 1.08 million to 953,000 hectares. When evaluating the value of paddy rice systems, the multi-function of paddy systems in the monsoon climate is vital importance. The main functions of paddy rice systems are to conserve biodiversity and maintain sustainability. Some crucial environmental benefits of the paddy rice systems include: flood prevention, recharge of water resources, water purification, soil erosion and landslide prevention, soil purification, landscape preservation and air purification. The paddy rice systems in Korea, which are more diverse than upland crop systems, are known to be composed of 14 orders, 36 families and 134 species. The sustainability of paddy rice production systems can never be overestimated. Rice is part of the culture and even the heart of spiritual life in the area under the monsoon climate. Therefore paddy rice systems should be preserved with the highest priority being the enhancement of the systems’ multi-function. As an outlook to future research, the need of joint and interdisciplinary research projects between economists and natural scientists at inland as well as international levels were emphasized in establishing the development of counter-measure logic through actual proofed analysis.