Fight breaks out at North Hamgyong farm over access to non-arable plots

Desperate to supplement their income, North Korean farm workers in North Hamgyong province are coming to blows over access to non-arable plots of land that offer rare opportunities to grow and sell crops on the side.

A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Tuesday that two farming households at a collective farm in Onsung county came to blows in late February over the allocation of a non-arable plot. The confrontation was severe enough that the farm management committee threatened to disqualify both households from the allocation program entirely.

Non-arable land refers to sections of farmland not used for primary cultivation. These plots are typically scattered in strips between rice paddies and fields, managed by the work brigade responsible for the adjacent cultivation area. In the past, sources say, such land was left fallow and largely unproductive. Increasingly, however, farms are allowing workers to cultivate them, effectively converting idle land into supplemental growing space.

What grows on non-arable land and why it matters

Crops grown on these plots tend to be low-maintenance staples such as soybeans, peppers, and millet. Most farms collect the harvest to offset operating costs, then distribute a portion to workers through their brigade. At some farms, however, individual households are now assigned specific plots to cultivate on their own. Under this arrangement, workers hand over half of what they produce and keep the remainder as personal income.

The appeal is practical. Workers can tend non-arable plots during their regular shifts at the collective farm, making them more productive than the small private garden plots (known colloquially as “sotoji”) that many households also maintain. Greater output means a larger share to keep, which explains why competition for the best plots has intensified.

The source said non-arable allotments at a typical farm cover around 1,000 pyong (roughly 3,300 square meters, or about 0.8 acres). For workers barred from engaging in trade or market activity, access to one of these plots can determine whether a household eats adequately. As the farming season approaches, competition for the most productive spots grows fierce.

In the Onsung county incident, that competition boiled over into a physical altercation. The farm management committee responded by threatening to bar both households from the allocation process. The source offered a sardonic assessment: “It’s like being glad your neighbor’s house caught fire,” implying a third household stands to inherit the contested plot.

Some observers are skeptical that the punishment will hold. The source noted that the management committee understands that without access to non-arable land, affected households could face acute food insecurity. “The management committee issued a stern warning for now,” the source said, “but it’s likely that both households will ultimately receive a non-arable plot allocation anyway.”

The confrontation in Onsung county reflects broader livelihood pressures facing collective farm workers in North Korea’s border regions in 2026, where food insecurity and restricted market access have made even marginal cultivation rights a source of serious conflict.

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