North Korea: Spreading fertiliser and good news

Thứ ba, Tháng 9 20, 2011

“Nationally we have a shortage of food,” Councillor Park Song-Il, vice-president of our local partner organisation told us. “The farmers are trying their best to increase the crops but they have not succeeded much.”

That leads to a need for food aid – World Vision is currently among five non-governmental organisations contributing to a relief food effort following lethal rainstorms and summer floods. But the long-term answer is to introduce the best possible farming techniques so people can feed themselves. Chemical fertilisers are out of reach of most farmers, so what is the solution?

World Vision introduced an organic fertiliser project in Dochiri, in North Hwanghae Province, in 2007. An extensive building was put up by 300 locals in nine months. The workers in it take chicken manure from a nearby factory farm with 200,000 birds and process it into a rich, fertile soil dressing that is sold at cost price to farmers in the region.

“In farming, this kind of fertiliser is one of the most important agricultural inputs, and we can produce 3,000 metric tonnes a year,” a justifiably proud chief engineer Kim Ung-Il told me.

“In this community, the soil quality was not good – it has a lot of sand in it. By using this organic fertiliser we get better soil, do better farming, and feed our children better food. Our yields have increased by 20 to 30% where it has been used.”

In a country where freedom of religion is largely theoretical, the work of a Christian organisation like World Vision has to be practical and life-changing. When the volunteers who were building the project suffered hunger and cold during the snowy winter of 2006, World Vision immediately provided daily hot food and overcoats. That act left a lasting impression on all of the volunteers, Councillor Park admitted.

Successful agricultural innovations like the organic fertiliser plant may also spread quickly. The country has a research centre for agricultural science, and when its experts validate a technique they can quickly authorise its use through a national structure of county management committees.

This is the second in a four part series. Check back each week for new glimpses into World Vision's work in North Korea from WVI President Kevin Jenkins.