In contrast to the increasing amount of crops being grown on small plots of land by individuals, the harvests from collective farms in North Korea are said to be declining. 

A source from South Pyongan Province who recently spoke with our Daily NK reporter expressed the viewpoint that attempts by the regime to pass farming policy that would increase the amount of food harvested and distributed to individuals from collective farms have had ��no substantive effect.�� 

Sources in North Pyongan Province and North Hamgyong Province corroborated this news.

The amount of food harvested this year from the collective farms has "once again fallen short of expectations," he said, adding that the farmers who work on them have criticized the orders coming down from the authorities, saying that ��if we do things the way they want us to, it��s not going to work.�� 

Although the regime has forced people to mobilize, the source asserted that farm yields are not increasing. So, then, ��the best thing to do would be to further divide the land up among individuals," he posited.

Our source wondered if individual farms were not more successful because each person tending them personally grew and watered their plants. Currently, farmers must follow directives regarding the amount of water they can use on collective farms. He warned that if the system is not completely overhauled, crop yields will fail to improve. 

In 2012, the North Korean government passed the 'June 28th Measures,' part of a ��new economic management system in our own style.�� This reduced production units on cooperative farms from groups of 10-25, to smaller factions of 4-6 members. as part of the reforms stipulated in the 'June 28th Measures.' On paper, the state receives 70% of the target production, with farmers receiving 30% and any surplus if targets are exceeded.  

In practice, however, things appear to be different. After its implementation in a number of regions, ��the production rate on collective farms remained low and the policy was unable to achieve meaningful results,�� the source said, adding that many worry these reforms will take the same path as the 'July 1st Economic Management Reform Measures of 2002,' which fizzled out after approximately three years.

"Although the the North��s official propaganda contends that the measures taken regarding the collective farms are scientifically based, in actuality, it��s just working the mobilized even harder," the source alleged.

��Each time a policy stumbles a bit, the people immediately think back to the last time a similar policy was implemented and anticipate yet another failure. We cannot believe in these policies that just sound good on paper anymore, and people are speaking out in favor of actual scientific and technical farming strategies.�� 

Two years have passed since Kim Jong Un��s announcement that the people would no longer have to tighten their belts, yet "the people have yet to see a policy directive issued that is related in any way to this promise," he said.

"In fact, it is common for people to say among themselves that Kim Jong Un 'should know what he��s doing by now.'"