The Rural Development Administration(RDA) is the central government organization responsible for extensive agricultural research and services in Korea. In the past, RDA helped Korea to achieve self-sufficiency in rice and other staple food through dissemination and promotion of high-yielding cultivars and improved cropping technologies, and made a remarkable progress in fresh vegetable production by introducing year-round cropping systems in greenhouses. Furthermore, RDA contributed greatly to the improvement of the rural environment and nurturing new farmers. The era of globalization is blooming in the agricultural sector as well, and Korean agriculture is struggling to cope with the new international trade environment and challenges. RDA's efforts are directed towards highly competitive agriculture and efficient rural development. It endeavors to support farmers to produce agricultural commodities with better quality; advancing low-input, labor-saving and environment-friendly cropping technologies; promoting modern and automated production facilities; and nurturing future farmers.