Centralized governance for food safety of non-timber forest products: Wild-simulated ginseng in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

Global interest in non-timber forest products is increasing, owing to their contribution to the diversification of forest livelihoods. Wild-simulated ginseng (WSG) is a non-timber forest product that has received attention for promoting the livelihood of mountain villages and providing healthy foods in the Republic of Korea. The country's government policy for specializing the WSG with high commercial value was established and conducted according to the National Forest Plans. This study examined the policy changes for facilitating the WSG industry in the Republic of Korea for understanding innovation and governance of non-timber forest product industry, applying a policy arrangement approach with four dimensions; discourses, rules of the game, actors, and actors' resources or power. The results indicate that these four interconnected dimensions contributed to establishing and implementing policies for facilitating the WSG industry. The policy arrangement approach confirms two features in WSG industry policies; the transition of discourse of non-timber forest products from quantity-oriented to quality-oriented focusing on food safety and centralized governance mode. The innovative policy approach, focusing on food safety and governance mode, contributes to facilitating and revitalizing the non-timber forest product industry in the food market.