Alternative agriculture in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) refers to farming practices that differ from the state’s conventional, centrally planned agricultural system. These alternatives have emerged largely from necessity: chronic food shortages, limited arable land, harsh climate, and a lack of industrial inputs such as fuel, fertilizer, and pesticides. Over the last several decades, these pressures have pushed the country to experiment with new farming models, small-scale self-sufficiency, and low-input ecological methods. One important shift has been the gradual reform of cooperative farms. Traditionally, large collectives managed all land based on central quotas, leaving little room for flexibility or local decision-making. In more recent years, however, the state has experimented with “sub-work teams” or small responsibility units—sometimes made up of individual families—that manage designated plots. After fulfilling state delivery requirements, these units can keep part of the surplus, providing an incentive for better care and higher yields. Alongside this, private kitchen gardens have become essential, supplying households with vegetables and playing a major role in everyday food availability.Because of chronic shortages in industrial agricultural inputs, North Korea has increasingly relied on low-input and organic-style methods. Farmers often use compost, animal manure, and green manure in place of chemical fertilizers. Pesticides are scarce, encouraging reliance on integrated pest management, crop rotation, and manual weed control. While these practices resemble organic or regenerative agriculture, they are rooted in necessity rather than environmental policy. Deforestation during the 1990s famine years severely damaged soil fertility and accelerated erosion, prompting new attention to reforestation and agroforestry. The government has promoted tree-planting campaigns, slope-land restoration, and the introduction of mixed cropping systems that combine trees with grains or vegetables. International organizations, when granted access, have supported slope rehabilitation, terracing, and community-based forestry projects. Greenhouse agriculture is another significant development. To extend the growing season in the DPRK’s long winters, both simple plastic greenhouses and more advanced solar-heated or hydroponic systems have been established. These facilities, particularly in Pyongyang and some provincial cities, help stabilize vegetable supplies when outdoor cultivation is impossible.International NGOs and UN agencies have also introduced a range of alternative agricultural techniques. These include low-cost greenhouses, small-scale irrigation improvements, hardier seed varieties (potatoes, barley, soybeans), and training in sustainable farming methods. While their reach is limited by political constraints and sanctions, such projects often outperform traditional models by being more community-centered and adaptive.Finally, the DPRK has promoted diversification and intensive cropping strategies. Potato production expanded dramatically in the 2000s due to its high caloric output and suitability for cold climates. Double-cropping—growing two crops in a single year—has become more common in regions where climate and irrigation allow it. Urban agriculture, visible in gardens around apartment blocks and fields within city boundaries, serves as yet another alternative system supporting local food access. Altogether, these developments form a diverse mosaic of agricultural practices that supplement North Korea’s centralized system and help compensate for its limitations.
Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath is a renowned photograph taken by famed American photojournalist W. Eugene Smith in 1971. Many commentators regard Tomoko as Smith’s greatest work. The black-and-white photo depicts a mother cradling her severely deformed, naked daughter in a traditional Japanese bathing chamber. The mother, Ryoko Uemura, agreed to deliberately pose the startlingly intimate photograph with Smith to illustrate the terrible effects of Minamata disease (a type of mercury poisoning) on the body and mind of her daughter Tomoko. Upon publication the photo became world famous, significantly raising the international profile of Minamata disease and the struggle of the victims for recognition and compensation. At the wishes of Tomoko Uemura’s family, the photograph was withdrawn from further publication in 1997, 20 years after Tomoko’s death.
