On January 9, ROK media reported North Korean leader Kim Jong-il admitted he failed to accomplish his late father Kim Il-sung's promise to feed his people adequately. Since 1946, Kim Il-sung talked about "rice and meat soup for everyone" every year, but the North is still dependent on international food aid to mitigate widespread food shortages and starvation. But WHAT exactly is the state of North Korea’s agriculture industry, its practices, progress, and the hope for improvement?

In November, 2009, Dr. Jerry Nelson traveled to the North to visit several farms and to discuss how to improve cropping, livestock and water management systems for North Korea's farm. The trip was the latest in a series of activities by the University of Missouri's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources with the North in efforts to improve capacity. Dr. Nelson gave a presentation that was followed by a discussion on the state of farms and how relevant agricultural progress can be made in North Korea.

This event is part of KEI's ongoing Human Security in North Korea Forum:

In the spring of 2009, KEI launched its Human Security in North Korea Forum, designed to improve understanding of the steps required to identify and respond to the needs of North Koreans. The UNDP's 1994 Human Development Report identified seven threat areas to human security: economic, food, health, environmental, personal, community, and political security. KEI's new forum addresses those issues at the top of the human security agenda for North Korea. Programs will be held periodically, and each will fall under one of our three main topic areas: humanitarian assistance, development assistance, and human rights.

C. Jerry Nelson obtained his B.S. (1961) and M.S. (1963) degrees from the University of Minnesota, and the Ph.D. (1966) in Agronomy and Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin. After a post doctoral at Cornell University, he joined the University of Missouri faculty in 1967.

Until retirement in 2009, Dr. Nelson was Curators’ Distinguished Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri. His research focused on applications of plant physiology to growth processes of crop plants. He mentored more than 50 graduate students and visiting scientists, published over 200 refereed research papers and over 150 technical reports, coauthored five books, and received several national awards for research including the Siehl Prize for Agriculture in 2004. He was elected President of the Crop Science Society of America (1988) and the American Society of Agronomy (1996). He helped develop and was elected the first President (2000) of the International Crop Science Society.

Professor Nelson was the key faculty member to lead the formation of the Asian Affairs Center at the University of Missouri in 1997 and now serves as Senior Advisor. He has had extensive experience internationally with extended visits to provide technical assistance in Tunisia, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico, India, Kenya, Taiwan, China, and South Korea. He is currently working on agricultural programs in Vietnam and North Korea.