Korean Natural Farming (KNF)

Korean Natural Farming (KNF) is a set of techniques and practices developed in the 1960s by Dr. Cho Han Kyu in response to the spread of the “Green Revolution.” KNF gardening and farming focuses on increasing yields and yield quality by harnessing techniques used by local Japanese and Korean farmers for generations. Adaptations of KNF techniques can greatly reduce waste and costs while maintaining these yield improvements, as well making integration into regular practices a major benefit. Additionally, KNF was created with adaptation in mind, so adding one, some, or all of these techniques is easy and can be done once or on a regular basis.

Dr. Cho Han Kyu was an agricultural student in South Korea in the 60s when the Green Revolution made its way to Asia. The Green Revolution was a set of techniques in the same format as KNF, but focusing on things like varieties of cereals with high yields, chemical fertilizers, and mechanized harvesting. After visiting Japan, Dr. Cho and his peers boycotted the Green Revolution, opting instead to support local 4H clubs and study multi-generational farmers’ techniques to create a system geared toward enhancing nature, rather than attempting to override it.

Due to KNF’s roots in family farming techniques developed over multiple generations, its methods focus on re-purposing waste products and maximizing effects of common practices with additional components. This means that KNF uses common practices like mulching fallen leaves from crops, but also re-purposes what is normally considered waste, like weeds and pests (like snails) to draw as many benefits out of the environment as possible. These nutrients, hormones, microbes, and minerals are commonly extracted through fermentation, using both aerobic and anaerobic processes depending on the application, as well as the mainstream fad of composting.

All of KNF’s components can be used independently or all together as a system, making it easy to enhance the entire process or just beef up the stage your plants are currently in. Almost all of KNF’s components are administered via foliar application, so one, three, or 10 techniques can be applied at the same time, or you can add them directly to your compost for a myriad of benefits. KNF also dovetails very nicely with practices that farmers and gardeners often spend the majority of their time focusing on, such as Vermiculture, Bokashi, and “Living Soil” or “No-Till” growing.

KNF is based around a group of natural mixtures developed to feed a garden or farm all of the nutrients it needs to thrive by using waste and local plants instead of man-made chemical fertilizers. That group most often consists of:

In addition, there are a number of key practices that are most often used in KNF, which include:

  • IMO soil enrichment process (IMO 1-4)
  • Fermented Mixed Compost (FMC)
  • Bokashi
  • Pest Management