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What is Korean Natural Farming (KNF)?
This sustainable farming system was developed by Cho Han Kyu, AKA Master Cho, from the Janong Natural Farming Institute in South Korea. KNF is a style of farming that focuses on the culturing of Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) to improve the health of your soil and regenerate healthy soil where it is no longer found. The end goal is to produce fertile soils that yield high output without the use of outsourced fertilizers and/or pesticides. This is also a helpful technique to implement when trying to make the switch from conventional farming to organic farming.
Indigenous Microorganisms are what make up the micro life forms in your soil. The organisms that primarily makeup IMO are beneficial fungi, bacteria, and yeasts. There is a symbiotic relationship that occurs between plants and beneficial IMOs; the microorganisms convert nutrients into a form that the plant is able to absorb. In turn, the plants provide food to these microorganisms.
Some of the potential benefits of attracting IMO’s to your soil include but are not limited to;
- A relatively self-sustainable system that allows for large or small scale cultivation with very little dependence on external inputs.
- Aids in the decomposition of organic matter making the process of soil regeneration faster and more effective.
- Increases the plant's natural defence and immune system functionality
- Increases in nutrient availability to the plants which then increase the plant’s health and production.
- Increase in nutrient uptake of your plants and trees.
- Higher yields with less input.
- Utilizes naturally occurring fertilizers and pest control by
working with mother nature. - A positive footprint. Giving back to the earth and all its
living creatures.
If you are interested in learning more about the KNF system or how to begin implementing into your garden, please explore the links below.
Links;
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/SA-19.pdf https://gardenculturemagazine.com/a-guide-to-korean-natural- farming/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl1n1UVWZew https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_natural_farming
