North Korea’s agriculture sector remains largely unchanged from Soviet times, and attempts at reform have thus far proven to be dysfunctional and moribund.

But there are several models that the country could adopt to improve agricultural output, and in particular the experience of its ally China could serve as a guide.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, China broke up most of its agricultural communes, giving farmers and their families tillage rights and allowing them to sell their output well above previous price levels.

This system created problems for financing infrastructure