Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) jointly held an experts conference on April 6 and 7 at Plaza Hotel in Seoul to discuss issues related to green growth in the agro-food sector. 

At the opening ceremony, KREI President Oh Se-Ik delivered a welcoming speech and asked the conference participants to make best use of the meeting to examine Korea's progress in bringing green growth to the agro-food sector and find viable solutions to promote it. 

The conference was held in separate sessions for two days. On the first day, sessions were held under the themes of 'agriculture and background of green growth,' 'green growth in the agro-food sector,' and 'environmental challenges to green growth.' The topics for the second-day sessions were 'technology innovation for green growth,' 'empirical analysis of green growth,' and 'structural conditions for green growth in agriculture and the agro-food sector.'

Wilfrid Legg, head of Agricultural Policies and Environment Division of OECD Trade and Agriculture Directorate, said that the agro-food industry is faced with the challenges of how to cope with climate change and manage natural resources environmentally friendly, and set policy priorities. He said that in order to deal with the challenges it is necessary to increase productivity through innovative R&D and improve market functions, property rights and related institutions.

Dr. Silvius of Agricultural Economics Research Institute (LEI) of the Netherlands suggested that the harmony of 3Ps (people, planet, and profit) is needed to bring green growth. 

Kim Chang-Gil, head of resource environment team at KREI, gave his assessment of green growth in Korea and said that Korea has achieved more solid productivity of green growth in the agricultural sector than in non-agricultural sectors. Kim stressed that in order to improve carbon productivity, green technology is needed in the cultivation of crops and the livestock sector needs technologies to reduce greenhouse gases. 

Gerald Smith, agricultural attache at the US Embassy in Seoul, said that green growth will meet future demand for food, fodder, and energy through production increase and that success of green growth will depend on public R&D and economic incentives.