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North Korea faces food shortage after worst harvest in a decade

AFTER WORST HARVEST IN TEN YEARS, 10 MILLION PEOPLE IN DPRK FACE IMMINENT FOOD SHORTAGES

UN report finds worryingly low food consumption, limited dietary diversity and families being forced to cut meals or eat less

Country Republic of Korea

Duration 2m49s

Edit Version Clean

Video Type B Roll Video

Date 05/03/2019 7:03 AM

File size 422.82 MB

Unique ID UF2T3H

All editorial uses permitted

Production details and shotlist

UNFAO Source FAO Video

Shotlist Shot: 02nd – 08th / 30th April 2019, 10th May 2018

Pyongyang, Anak county, Pongsan County, Sinchon County, DPRK Rome, Italy

Duration: 2:49

SHOTLIST:

:00-:10
Irrigation canal showing dry conditions which have affected much of the country.

Anak County, South Hwanghae Province, DPRK
Shot: 04th April 2019
:10-:25
Dry barley fields show lack of snow and rainfall during the winter has limited crop development. WFP / FAO assessment teams speaking with farmers.

Pongsan County, North Hwanghae Province, DPRK
Shot: 02th April 2019

:25-:35
Farmers preparing the land for rice planting which is one of the main staple cereal crops in DPRK. Assessment shows that agricultural production is 14 percent below the 5-year average.

Anak County, South Hwanghae Province, DPRK
Shot:04th April 2019
:35-:50

Cooperative farmers tilling the land in preparation for maize planting, adding water and what little organic manure they have access to. In the background early season crop of wheat can be seen growing. The area has access to irrigation water, many do not.

Anak County, South Hwanghae Province, DPRK
Shot:04th April 2019
:50-:55

WFP / FAO assessment team talking to local farmer.
Unpa County, North Hwanghae Province, DPRK

Shot:08th April 2019
:55-1:20
Mario Zappacosta, FAO Senior Economist, mission co-lead (English)

“It is estimated that about 10.1 million people, around 40% of the population are considered to be food-insecure and in need of urgent food assistance. The social groups that are more affected and in danger are children, young children, and women, pregnant women and lactating women.”

Pyongyang, DPRK
Shot: 08th April 2019
1:20-1:45

WFP / FAO assessment teams visit the household of cooperative farmer. Ms. Ri raises chickens to help her meet her food needs but says she may have to sell the chickens if they can’t grow enough food on the farm.

She has a small kitchen garden where she grows some vegetables but otherwise survives on a meagre diet of rice and kimchie most of the year.

Sinchon County, South Hwanghae Province, DPRK
Shot:03th April 2019
1:45-2:00

Shots of a nursery in Sinchon County where WFP targets it’s support.

Sinchon County, South Hwanghae province, DPRK
Shot:03rd April 2019
2:00-2:24

Nicolas Bidault, WFP Regional Senior VAM Officer, mission co-lead (English)

“The assessment teams are back from the field. They have spoken to households, farmers, local officials, they have visited nurseries. What is clear to us is that we are very concerned with the situation of food security and nutrition in DPRK. What is clear is that the succession of bad drought, heatwave and floods this year is badly impacting the crop production.”

Pyongyang, DPRK
Shot: 08th April 2019
2:24-2:49

WFP supported factory, one of 11 in the country, where a production line of WFP specialised foods are produced using raw materials procured and transported from outside the country. Raw commodities are fortified with a mix of vitamins and minerals before being turned into cereals and biscuits, which are then given to malnourished women and children.

Pyongyang, DPRK
Shot:10th May 2018

Script AFTER WORST HARVEST IN TEN YEARS, 10 MILLION PEOPLE IN DPRK FACE IMMINENT FOOD SHORTAGES

UN report finds worryingly low food consumption, limited dietary diversity and families being forced to cut meals or eat less

3 May 2019, PYONGYANG/ROME – A United Nations food security assessment in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has found that following the worst harvest in 10 years, due to dry spells, heatwaves and flooding, about 10.1 million people suffer from severe food shortages, meaning they do not have enough food until the next harvest.

The aggregate 2018/19 food crop production is estimated at 4.9 million metric tons, which is the lowest since the 2008/09 season. In addition to unfavourable climatic conditions, limited supplies of agricultural inputs, such as fuel, fertilizer and spare parts have had significant adverse impact.

The assessment, which is based on UN Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme missions to the country last month and in November 2018, concluded that the reduced harvest, coupled with increased post-harvest losses, has led to an uncovered food deficit of 1.36 million metric tons after considering the commercial import capacity of the country.

The report found worryingly low food consumption levels, limited dietary diversity and families being forced to cut meals or eat less.

In particular, it expresses serious concern about lack of dietary diversity which is vital to good nutrition. The situation is particularly worrisome for young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women, who are the most vulnerable to malnutrition.

The assessment found that the government’s Public Distribution System, on which a large portion of the population relies, has been forced to cut rations to the lowest ever level for this time of the year. There are concerns that in the absence of substantial external assistance, rations may be further cut during the critical months of June-October, at the peak of the lean season.

“Many families survive on a monotonous diet of rice and kimchi most of the year, eating very little protein,” said Nicolas Bidault, co-lead of the mission and WFP Senior Regional Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) Adviser. “This is worrying because many communities are already extremely vulnerable and any further cuts to already minimal food rations, could push them deep into a hunger crisis,” he added.

“We are concerned about this year’s wheat, barley and potato crops, which play an important role in meeting household food needs during the upcoming lean season, despite accounting for only about 10 percent of total production,” said Mario Zappacosta, FAO’s Senior Economist and co-lead of the mission. “Our assessment shows that reduced rains and lack of snow cover during winter, which left crops exposed to freezing temperatures, cut production by about 20 percent,” he added.

The assessment’s recommendations include scaling up food assistance to meet immediate needs, and prioritising areas where food needs are greatest and where climate impacts are the most severe. It also recommends an expansion of nutrition programmes and disaster risk reduction measures to enable at-risk communities to better cope with future shocks.

The assessment also recommends a series of measures to bolster agricultural production including importing fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals, water pumps, greenhouses, and vegetable seed, as well as upgrading grain-drying equipment, threshing machines and storage facilities in order to reduce post-harvest losses.

WFP’s work in DPRK focuses on providing nutrition assistance to some 770,000 malnourished women and children across nine provinces. They are given nutritious cereals and biscuits fortified with micronutrients, fats and proteins crucial for healthy growth, and the assistance is channelled through nurseries, hospitals and child institutions.

“Our programme of specially-designed fortified foods has filled an important nutritional gap among young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women at a crucial period of their lives,” said Praveen Agrawal, WFP’s Country Director in DPRK. “We must ensure that these nutrition gains are not reversed. Supporting this vulnerable group must be our top priority,” he added.

FAO’s work in DPRK provides support to more than 500,000 cooperative farmers, through the supply of vital production inputs for agriculture production. More importantly, it introduces techniques and technologies such as conservation agriculture, sustainable Rice Intensification and climate-resilient agriculture practices such agro-forestry, agroecology and crop-livestock integration to improve the livelihood of farmers and build their resilience against climate change.

‘Through its assistance, FAO supports nutrition-sensitive food production approaches and promotes food diversification to address the current food and nutrition security situation,’’ said Vincent Martin, FAO Representative in China and DPR Korea.

The FAO/WFP Rapid Food Security Assessment Mission visited counties across the country in April 2019 to assess the food security situation there, in addition to other counties visited by WFP in November 2018. Teams were granted access to a variety of locations including cooperative farms, rural and urban households, nurseries, public distribution centres, and were able to speak to households, farmers, government officials, and humanitarian partners.

The United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been working for more than 70 years to end hunger in the world. Its objective is to achieve food security for all, and guarantee them regular access to sufficient and good quality food to lead an active and healthy life. With more than 194 member states, FAO works in more than 130 countries.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.

ENDS