Since 1960’s the first priority of economic policies in Korea has been placed on industrialization for national development. The national economy has marked an average annual growth rate of 9.1 % for the periods of the Ist-3rd Five-Year Economic Development Plan. On the other hand, agricultural sector still considerably lags behind the other industrial sectors in the aspecs of technology, productivity and income level. However, agricultural devolopment must not be neglected in her development process in that majority of the people are still engaged in farming and agricultural sector holds heavy burdens to support steady national development. Many development projects have been carded out in rural areas with the beginning of Saemaul Movement to accelerate agricultural development. Especially, it has been increasingly recognized that non-formal education (NFE) component be added up to the projects in order to enhance their effectiveness which is, to a large extent, depend on behavioral changes of rural people and the related pere-onnels. But NFE approaches are suffered from the lethargy of systematic coordination with the other development components in terms of roles and organizational strategies. It is therefore urgently requested to solve the problems in theoretical and practical sides. In view of this consideration, this paper is to examine the roles and possibilities of NFE for agricultural development based on systems approach. Agricultural development had been traditionally. conceptualized in a growth-oriented thought which emphasized increment of physical production. But the traditional thought has no virtual meanings in the social settings without consideration of social welfares. In this connection, NFE for agricultural development should be aimed at increasing physical proauction and promoting social welfares of rural people as well. In order for NFE to achieve the fundamental aims in agricultural development system, it is requested that inter-relationships with the other developmental elements be clearly defined and the roles of NFE be explored in the relationships. That is, agricultural development may be facilitated through intimate interactions among the basic elements encompassing farming activities, agri-support activities, policy and insittution activities, and educational activities. Therefore, non-formal education should not be considered as a sole strategy but rather as an input of agricultural development. NFE carries out accelerating functions of agricultural development by providing the educational channels to link agri-support activites and policy and institution activites to farmers' farming activities. The roles of NFE should be seeked not only in agricultural development system but also in overall education system involving formal and non-formal education. It is widely acknowledged that the linkages between formal education and NFE are much weak and even more serious in agricultural education sector. This situation seems to expose functional deterioration of the over-all education system and considerable losses in the efficiency of manpower development related to agricultural sector. Posed at the bottleneck, NFE should perform both supplementary and alternative roles in agricultural development system: the former is to supplement and extend the functions of formal education; the latter is to meet a need for alter natives to formal education whose functions are relatively weak and ineffective. Taking into consideration the educational needs of rural people and basic conditions of agricultural development teget her, the supplementary roles of NFE can be suggested as technological innovation, improvement of living attitudes, leadership development and extension of public participation, and alternative roles as civil education and vocational guidance. Conclusively, the systematic efforts. should be fully reflected in the process of policy-making and educational activities of NFE. Under the sound systemic frames, NFE can be equipped with theoretical and practical tools to contribute to agricultural development.