For decades, NCNK member Dr. C. Jerry Nelson has worked on the objective to provide technical assistance in agriculture and forestry, primarily through educational enhancement to North Korean scientists and agriculture specialists. He began with primary cooperation with the American Friends Service Committee through specialized training programs at the University of Missouri and in North Korea. Dr. Nelson is presently writing a book on the “Current Status of Agriculture and Forestry in North Korea”. While that is the general topic, there is an overriding question: can North Korea feed itself in the long term?
In this webinar, Dr. Nelson explores food production as an integrated activity in North Korea, incorporating soil, climate, forest, animal, crop and human resources. He also discusses the impacts of administrative decisions by the North Korean government related to land use in the light of sustainability, resource conservation and pending global climate change. In addition to needs for technology, there have been some recent and challenging top-level administrative decisions in North Korea regarding land use in the light of sustainability. Dr. Nelson was joined by discussant Dr. Linda Lewis, the former American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) Country Representative for China/DPRK, who has on-the-ground experience inside North Korea working on nutrition and agriculture related issues.