North Korean authorities have been urging collective farm laborers to engage in ¡°field tilling battles¡± in time for the farming season, but workers are struggling with broken machinery and lack of support from the state, Daily NK has learned. 

¡°Spring farming season has brought with it the ¡®tilling battle¡¯ but most equipment required for the project is non-functional; there aren¡¯t even enough cows, which has made for horrible conditions at collective farms,¡± a source in Gangwon Province told Daily NK on Tuesday. ¡°The workers are complaining, saying they¡¯ve returned to the Paleolithic Era.¡± 

He added that second-tier collective farms, comprising some 1,000 workers, have about 15 tractors, but 90 percent of them either malfunction or are bereft of tires. ¡°That leaves about one or two that can actually operate,¡± he said. ¡°There is one cow for every 8 hectares of land, but that is nowhere close to sufficient--a lot of them died from foot-and-mouth disease or are being bred separately.¡± 

Replacing small parts for the tractors is relatively easy; tires, on the other hand, are another situation entirely: a large single rear tire can cost hundreds of dollars. Needless to say, most farms find it unfathomable to entertain thoughts of purchasing one--let alone four.

¡°Because of this current situation, second-tier state factories [each with approximately 1,500 workers] and others below that tier in the cities are mobilized to help till the fields and sow seeds,¡± the source said.  ¡°Other than on rice paddies, when it comes to fields that are on a slope, it¡¯s laughable to see people using extremely outdated equipment like old-fashioned plows to turn over the soil.¡± 

He said this sight is increasingly common on collective farms, with some resorting to threshers operated manually with a foot pedal because of the chronic power shortages. Foot-operated threshers were designed for war-time use when electricity is scarce; previously stored along with emergency supplies, they have seen regular use in North Korea for the past two years.

Unsurprisingly, Party cadres have been spinning these practices as ¡°new, independent, and creative methods,¡± encouraging their adoption throughout the country. According to the source, however, this attempts at promotion have been met with nothing but mockery from the general public. 

¡°Our real lives are now reflective of what we saw in old movies,¡± is one of the popular phrases employed by residents to express derision for the state¡¯s agricultural policies. ¡°Party cadres in the farming sector have even chimed in, lamenting how things seem to be ¡®going back in time,¡¯¡± he said.