North Korea farming remains one of the regime’s most persistent vulnerabilities, with chronic food insecurity rooted in poor soil, outdated infrastructure, ideological constraints on agricultural reform, and the ongoing tension between collective farming and the individual responsibility system. Daily NK covers North Korea farming through reports on harvest conditions, seasonal mobilizations, fertilizer and equipment shortages, agricultural policy directives from Pyongyang, and the ground-level reality facing farmers across the country’s provinces. Our in-country sources provide some of the most detailed and timely reporting on North Korea’s agricultural situation available in English.
Tag: farming
Nampo factory workers ordered to collect 500kg compost weekly or pay...
A source in Nampo told Daily NK recently that the city "called on factories and enterprises to take charge of collecting agricultural supplies farmers...
N. Korea’s new rural facilities sit empty despite propaganda about ‘ideal...
Shops, bathhouses and clinics built to promote rural prosperity remain practically closed in sparsely populated counties, with local residents saying state-distributed goods appear only...
N. Korean rice prices plunge 30% as foreign exchange rates stabilize...
Rice has fallen from record highs above 30,000 won per kilogram to around 21,500 won and held steady for nearly a month, reflecting decreased...
N. Korea dispatches inspection team to verify cash wage implementation on...
A joint task force from the ruling party and Cabinet will monitor South Hwanghae province farms until early next year to assess the effectiveness...
N. Korea orders enterprises to boost nursery support ahead of year-end...
Agencies and enterprises in South Pyongan province compete to inflate reported contributions to local nurseries and kindergartens, leaving logistics workers exhausted as they scramble...
State television touts mechanized farming while blackouts force workers to thresh...
As farmers around North Korea wrap up the fall harvest, most farms in Ryanggang province have been unable to use their threshing machines because...
Farm labor shortages force North Korea to trap discharged soldiers in...
A North Korean couple from different parts of the country—the man from the interior and the woman from the border—may have to call off...
Soldiers and civilians profit from “time of opportunity” as North Korea...
With the authorities collecting military rice supplies in agricultural communities throughout North Korea, the age-old practice of pilfering supplies on the ground is repeating...
North Korea bans foreign currency wages, mandates cash payments in revised...
North Korea revised the Labor Wages Act in May to make it illegal for workers to be paid in foreign currency. In addition, the...
North Korean farm workers moonlight as paid replacements during harvest mobilization
As North Korea's national mobilization for the fall harvest nears its conclusion, a bizarre trend has emerged of farm workers being paid to serve...
