An aerial view of the Organic Farm Area in Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do, the site of the ISOFAR 2015 Goesan International Organic Expo and Industry Fair.
Korean and foreign experts and business leaders in diverse areas related to organic agriculture will descend on Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do, to participate in the ISOFAR 2015 Goesan International Organic Expo and Industry Fair that will open for a 24-day run on Sept. 18.
The first exposition of the global organic agriculture industry will be jointly hosted by the Chungcheongbuk-do provincial government, Goesan County and the International Society of Organic Agriculture Research (ISOFAR). ISOFAR promotes and supports research in all areas of Organic Agriculture by facilitating global cooperation in research, methodological development, education and knowledge exchange; supporting individual researchers through membership services, publications and events and integrating stakeholders in the research process.
True to the theme “Organic Life, Science Meets the Public,” the expo-cum-trade fair aims to promote sustainable agriculture and ecological life in which people live in harmony with nature.
The exposition will take place from Sept. 18 to Oct. 11 at the Organic Expo Farm area in Goesan-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do.
Spectators will look at scientific materials on the values and industries of organic agriculture at 10 themed pavilions. The themes are “Healthy and Resilient Soil,” “Clean Water,” “Clean Air,” “Enriched Biodiversity,” “Favorable Climate,” “Organic Animal Husbandry,” “Optimal Product and Process Quality,” “General Human Well-being (Consumer Satisfaction),” “Organic Lifestyle,” and “Practical Skills for Organic Agriculture.”
Visitors will see organic agriculture first-hand and visions of organic agriculture at seven outdoor exhibition pavilions. They are Agronomical Skills, Horticulture, Lifestyle, Alternative Energies, Animal Production, Food Processing, and Architecture.
Korean and foreign organic farming leaders will showcase their products at the Organic Industry Exhibition Hall.
The Organic Medicinal and Cosmetic Products Hall will serve as a space for spectators to experience medicinal and cosmetics techniques employing dietary menus of organic agriculture, organic farming treatment and organic cosmetics.
The expo will also have an organic farmers’ market in which farmers of organic agriculture in the Chungcheongbuk-do area sell their organic produce. Besides that, there will be diverse organic farming experiences, cultural performances and eatery programs.
The international trade fair is organized in partnership with IFOAM Asia, which is based in Korea. It is the largest organic NGO in Asia, promoting the development of organic agriculture and related industries. IFOAM Asia consists of member organizations from 15 Asian countries. The fair is open to all stakeholders promoting organic agriculture and related industries from farmers’ groups to governments and businesses.
The expo will also coincide with a variety of conferences reflecting the current trends and issues in the organic agriculture industry and movements. During the expo period, international organizations, including ISOFAR and IFOAM Asia, will also hold international symposiums to share scientific information and new trends in diverse organic-related fields. The Exchange Seminar Between Chungbuk Province & Shimane Prefecture, Japan, to be organized by the Chungbuk Research Institute, will take place at the Goesan Agricultural Tech & Extension Center on Sept. 18 while the Inaugural Assembly of the Asian Local Governments for Organic Agriculture, to be organized by IFOAM-Asia, will be held at the Goesan County Conference Room. The Symposium of Economic Policies for the Development of Organic Agriculture, to be organized by the Korea Rural Economic Institute, will take place at the Goesan Agricultural Tech & Extension Center on Sept. 22 while the ISOFAR Korea Organic Industry Symposium will be held at the Chungbuk Organic Agriculture Research Center Oct. 5 to Oct. 8.
The Organic 3.0 Project Conference, to be organized by IFOAM-Asia at Jungwon University Oct. 9 to Oct. 10, will attract Korean and foreign organic agriculture experts to discuss such issues as the future of organic agriculture — innovation and evolution of organic agriculture industry, mainstreams of organic agriculture, and a paradigm shift from organic 2.0 to organic 3.0. The so-called Goesan Organic Agriculture Statement will be declared at the closing ceremony of the expo based on the outcomes of the discussions of the conference, the organizing committee of the expo said.
Goesan, the venue of the expo, declared itself as a country of organic farming for the first time in Korea in 2007. The country area has grown into a center of organic agriculture as some 600 farmers have 500 hectares certified as “ecofriendly.” County authorities will display such exhibits as farming life instruments with prayers wishing for the successful hosting of the expo, puppets, platforms for crocks of sauces and condiments, sculptures made of the country’s specialized produce and photo zones.
The Chungcheongbuk-do provincial government said it expects the expo to have a production effect of about 107.2 billion won, an income induction effect of 22.93 billion won, an added value induction effect worth 48.96 billion won and a job creation effect measuring some 182.4 billion won.
“Chungcheongbuk-do, with a pristinely natural environment and well-connected transportation network, is now poised to grow into a center of eco-friendly, organic agriculture,” said Secretary-General Huh Kyung-jae of the organizing committee of the expo.
He added that his organizing committee will do its utmost to make the world’s first organic agriculture expo “a life science Olympics for all the world.” The organizing committee said the expo site is capable of accommodating 660,000 visitors, and hopes that at least 40,000 of them will be from other countries. The provincial government received approval to hold the international event from the central government in December 2013. Until now, they have completed the road-map for the overall event, made contracts with agencies to manage the event, launched a website and designed the EI signatures, including its logo and symbol mark. Also, they held an international academic event to boost the development of the organic farming industry, an advisory conference inviting officials of ISOFAR and an inaugural meeting of the organizing committee.
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