Farm succession and inheritance: The social reproduction crisis in South Korean agriculture

Current economic and social problems within the South Korean (hereafter Korea) agricultural sector cast doubt about the social reproduction of agriculture through traditional social processes of farm succession and inheritance. The potential demise of the family farm as a social institution of agricultural commodity production makes the survival of Korean agriculture problematic in the 21st century.; This dissertation explores family farm succession dynamics in existing Korean farm households. The primary objective is to assess the extent to which objective socioeconomic factors and subjective orientations to action in farm decision making and management influence the farm enterprise continuity and discontinuity.; The economic and sociocultural variables examined are conceptualized based on key conceptual notions drawn from "entrepreneurial" and "preservationist" perspectives that explain farm succession outcomes in capitalist societies. These perspectives are linked to classical and contemporary sociological ideas that inform the sociology of agricultural literature. This dissertation provides a complementary understanding of family farm enterprise continuity and discontinuity based on a synthetic theoretical framework.; Data for the dissertation was collected in a village near Kimhae (South Kyongsang province) in southeastern Korea. This village is located within a government-designated agricultural promotion zone. Special policies are being developed to maintain high levels of agricultural production in these zones.; A multimethod research design was used to collect the data. Participant observation, in-depth key informant interviewing, and survey research techniques were employed to obtain information about farm succession dynamics at the farm household level. A structured survey research instrument was administered to all the farm household heads in the village.; The major findings suggest that the social reproduction crisis of Korean agriculture is the result of human capital, economic, and sociocultural problems that exist both in farm household and macropolitical economy levels. Another key finding is that the government policy initiatives for more effective farm enterprise restructuring must pay attention to sociocultural as well as economic factors.