South Korea: Organic Expo and conferences

The 2015 Goesan Organic Expo + Industry Fair will take place in Goesan County, the North Chungcheong Province, in South Korea from 18 September to 11 October 2015. It will feature ten thematic exhibition halls, seven outdoor exhibitions, an organic industry hall, an organic medicinal and cosmetics products hall, as well as symposiums, among others. Goesan County has been the centre of organic farming in Korea, where various organisations are located. The Organic Chungbuk 2020 project has the goal to increase the pesticide-free and organic farmland share from 4.7 % (4,890 hectares) in 2013 to 20 % (23,550 hectares) in 2020. An organic industry cluster, including an organic industry promotion institute and an organic food industry complex will be developed in the course of this project.

IFOAM – Organics International is organising two conferences in South Korea to coincide with the Organic Expo. The Regional Conference on Marketing & Innovation in Organic Farming will be held on 2 – 3 October 2015 in in Goesan County. It will address the varied and successful strategies adopted by organic farming entrepreneurs to ensure their long-term competitiveness. Organic 3.0: The Next Phase of Organic Development – Visions, Trends and Innovations will take place on 9 - 11 October 2015, also in Goesan County. This conference will examine how the organic sector can and should evolve to meet the challenges of sustaining human society in an ecologically and socially responsible way. More information is available here.