Fighting Disease:  North Korea

Increasing Food Production

In April 1999, the Center joined several relief and development agencies to undertake a pilot initiative to boost potato production and improve food security in North Korea. The group purchased 1,000 metric tons of potato seed and oversaw its planting in May on farms in a southeastern North Korean province. Agencies included Adventist Development and Relief, Amigos Internacionales, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Church World Service, Korean American Sharing Movement, and Mercy Corps International.

In addition, a food-for-work program, with 100,000 metric tons of commodities provided by the U. S. Agency for International Development and the U. S. Department of Agriculture, supported the potato seed initiative and was targeted to the most needy areas of the country. This marked the first time the American government provided humanitarian assistance directly to U.S. aid agencies for distribution in North Korea.