Five representatives of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Academy of Agricultural Sciences spent two weeks learning about
agricultural research from University of Georgia specialists in
Athens, Griffin and Tifton.



“This is an historic event,” said Ed Kanemasu,
coordinator
of international programs for the UGA College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences. “This is the first time the
Academy
… has sent representatives to the United States. Agriculture
is a common ground. Everybody has to eat.”



Exchanging Ideas



The North Korean delegation, through this and future visits,
hopes
to exchange advanced food-producing technologies and benefit
their
country, which has endured six years of famine due to natural
disasters.

The North Koreans have food shortages, and the United States has
the technology to help in the country’s effort to feed its
people.
In return, they have germ plasm that could benefit the United
States, Kanemasu said.



The delegation arrived May 7. Asking questions and taking notes,
they were shown poultry, horticultural, row crop, irrigation,
genetic and other research by CAES scientists.



Kim Sam Ryong, DPRK AAS deputy president, said through an
interpreter
that North Korea hopes to continue relations between the two
institutions.



“The University of Georgia is one of the biggest state
universities
in the United States, and it is very good in bioengineering and
poultry,” Kim said. “Georgia has a lot of achievement
in broiler production. Also, you’ve got pecan trees, which could
be similar (to producing) hazelnuts in Korea.”



Hardy Science




The North Korean group wants to develop hardy, nutritional food
varieties. UGA potato research was a high priority.



“They have an area where the sweet potato grows very
well,”
said Stan Kays, a CAES horticulturist. “They’re interested
in it as a viable field crop. President Kim Jong Il wants them
to increase potato and sweet potato production.”

Potatoes and sweet potatoes are hardy crops. They grow
underground,
produce high yields and are less vulnerable to sudden changes
in weather, Kays said.



Kays has given tissue samples of a new UGA sweet potato to China
and North Korea. The potato is easy to grow like a sweet potato,
but doesn’t have the sweet taste. Scientists there can cross this
breeding line with established local varieties and have the best
of both worlds: a versatile, easy-to-grow crop, he says.



“We especially enjoy the production of potatoes and sweet
potatoes,” Kim said. “The Koreans should carry out what
we call the Potato Revolution.”



Mutual Benefit




Last October, Kays and Kanemasu were part of a UGA delegation
lead by CAES Dean and Director Gale Buchanan. The U.S. delegation
was invited and hosted by the DPRK AAS.



“The conclusion of the discussions,” Kanemasu said,
“was that if we work together, we can get much benefit for
people of both countries.”



“They were our host when we were there,” he said,
“and
we are hosting them here with the idea of trying to enhance their
agricultural technology and also see an exchange of agricultural
ideas to us.”



With plans for future visits back to Georgia, the group returned
to North Korea May 18.