Mr. Kim Chol Kwang is a leading rice farmer in Namsan Dong, Sadong district in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Crop Research Institute at the Academy of Agricultural Science in Pyongyang, DPR Korea. At the crack of dawn, Kim heads out into the fields where he stays until late in the evening. He is joined by other farmers who work tirelessly to ensure an increase in crop yields at harvest time in October and November.
Until recently, Kim had to work harder to plant seedlings in the paddies which would later be transplanted into the various rice fields sitting on 40 hectares of land on this cooperative farm. Sometimes, the crop yields would increase, sometimes it did not pay off. He also grows fruits and vegetables. “In the past years, rice seedlings planted in the paddy were susceptible to water logging. They took time to grow and this would lead to late production. We used more seeds in the paddy which would lead to loss”.
In April 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) offered support to the farmers on Namsan Dong’s cooperative farm through Improved Rice Production and Sustainability through System of Rice Intensification (SRI) TCP/DRK/3404.
The aim was to enhance food production and improve household level food and nutritional security. The 1,500,000 EU funded project helped to increase soil fertility and preserves the environment. For the farmer, conservation agriculture allows less production costs, reduction of time and labor and reduces the cost of investment in machinery.
The early maturing drought-resistant varieties of rice, maize, wheat, potatoes and vegetables which are provided by FAO contribute to food security and change the crop calendar system. Kim says the two 300 square meter greenhouses provided by FAO have turned around the planting time at the cooperative farm and raised rice seedlings under the system of rice intensification (SRI).
Today, preparing seedlings for transplanting has been made easy for the farmers because by planting seedlings in the greenhouse, the farmers start planting in March. By the planting season in April, the seedlings are ready for transplanting. There is no use of fertilizers in the greenhouse like is needed in the paddy, enabling the farmers to produce more organic crop which is healthier for consumers.
“Little water is used and if introduced to the whole country, it will ensure sustainable management rice seedlings. Last year for one Pyong (3.34 square meters), the farmers planted 80 rice seedlings in the rice field. This year, the numbers of seedlings will be decreased to 60 based on last year’s trials and demonstrations. This means more saving of precious seeds. In addition, average yield will increase by 15-20%.
In a world threatened by climate change and water shortages, SRI can be used to ensure food security even during water scarcity which is also good for environmental management and climate change mitigation. If the SRI is combined with organic farming, the farm can be used to produce products which can be branded and marketed as “premium products” because they are organic. In the practice of conservation agriculture, conserving resources by not applying fertilizers and conserving soil and water are so critical to addressing climate change.
At harvest time, the farm can produce up to 1.5 metric tonnes (MT) per hectare more than the traditional farming.
“The greenhouse system is very effective, it saves seeds of rice by one-third. With the SRI, farmers use 40 kilograms of rice for one hectare, yet with the conventional method, we use 120 kilograms. The SRI system also saves money because it does not need plastic sheeting to make a bed. The system increases gestation period which means more production and more benefits”.
The DPR Korea Deputy Director General for International Cooperation, Mr. Mun Jong Nam says despite the drought in 2014, the country managed to harvest 5.71 million metric tonnes of crop. Production has been increasing every year and he says it is expected to rise further with the intensification of FAO projects.
The Government is planning to introduce the SRI to the whole farm. The two units of green houses are however not enough, managing to produce seedlings which are transplanted on only four hectares of land. To cover the 40 hectares on this farm, Kim says the farm would need 20 greenhouses.
The FAO Representative in DPR Korea Mr. Percy Misika said that FAO is prepared to work with the farmers in ensuring that SRI becomes part of the activities applied on the farms. This will contribute to the enhanced food security of DPR Korea.
The technologies were introduced on five farms of Budok, Kasan, Munjang, Seanal and Ryongam farms. All five farms have increased the land under conservation and double cropping from 60 to 100 hectares. Crop yields have also increased in CA based fields compared to the conventional systems.
In 2014, rice yields on areas under CA on Munjang Farm, Kwaksan County, South Hwanghae increased to 7.8 tonnes per hectare compared to 6 tonnes per hectare on areas under traditional planting. These yields are progressively increasing as conversation agriculture continues to be practised on these farms.