The river Potonggang used to flow by where I live in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea. Six weeks ago, the local authorities closed a sluice gate up-river, reducing the depth to 12 inches.

When temperatures plunged to 22 Celsius, the river froze. Four weeks ago, up to 2,000 men and women arrived at the river and proceeded with picks and shovels to dig through the frozen ice to take out the soil from the riverbed.

Because raw sewage had been flowing into the river since last spring it was felt that this soil, when thawed, would be rich and fertile and ideal for use as topsoil.

Up to 3,000 tons of material were taken from the riverbed and loaded on to trucks. This work was done during days when the temperature was down to 15 Celsius. Martial music blared from a megaphone to urge the workforce on.

The task was carried out with typical North Korean stoicism as the people here lived through a time of severe austerity. It demonstrated the desperate measures they were prepared to take to increase their food production.

At the best of times North Korea would find it hard to feed itself. Only 20 per cent of its land is arable, the rest mountainous. It has just one relatively short growing season from April to October and frost occurs for up to half the year.

Since 1994, some of its most fertile growing areas have suffered natural calamities, including floods, hailstones, drought - and crop damage has meant severe food scarcity. Without food from the United Nations and other donors, there would have been famine and hundreds of thousands of people would have perished.

As it is there have been periods of severe hunger and some of the population have succumbed to a combination of hunger, sickness and cold.

It would be wrong to suggest North Korea is suffering solely because of natural calamities. Up to 1990, it enjoyed assured economic ties with the former Soviet Union, China and other Eastern European countries. The 1990s were marked by a gradual breakdown of the economy.

The collapse of the Soviet Union, the loss of its eastern European friends and China's increasing liberalisation have left North Korea economically isolated, with little hard currency to pay for food and fuel imports.

These problems have affected its agricultural industries, and factories which used to produce tractors, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and spare parts have largely ceased to function.

The food shortfall is covered mainly by the UN World Food Programme and several other agencies. The World Food Programme's 1998 budget in North Korea is the largest in cash terms in its history and takes up to onethird of its worldwide budget. In 1998, North Korea will receive up to one million tons of food aid.

Concern, which set up operations in North Korea in November 1997 following an assessment in October, is one of six European humanitarian agencies allowed to operate here at present.

Concern has decided to concentrate on winter clothing for the farming community and agricultural assistance.

Why assist the farmers? During times of scarcity, it is inevitable a country such as North Korea will endeavour to satisfy first the needs of its cities and towns.

Sixty per cent of the country's 22 million people live in urban areas, many in high-rise apartment blocks. Severe fuel shortages mean there are heat and light shortages but as far as possible, these resources are made available to urban folk.

Up to nine million North Koreans, including their families, are involved in agricultural production.

The country's farmers produce more than three million tons of rice annually - at a time when factories which would normally have produced tractors, spare parts, chemical fertilisers and pesticides have more or less closed down.

This production is also being achieved even though the farmer in this country has only one growing season from April to October. During the harsh winter months, the Korean farmer is in the field turning the earth in November/ December and again in February/ March to prepare for planting in April.

While the three million tons of food farmers produce annually represent only 75 per cent of what is required, the international community has to make up the shortfall and it is still a remarkable effort in the circumstances.

Concern has decided to concentrate on agricultural recovery programmes for 1998.

Frost is a major hazard during the winter months and up to the early 1990s North Korean factories produced transparent plastic for use in greenhouses.

These factories no longer produce plastic and farmers are deprived of this vital assistance. Bearing this in mind, Concern agreed with the authorities in Pyongsong that the farmers would prepare the frames for 163 greenhouses and Concern would import the plastic from China to cover them. This work has been completed.

At the end of February, 60,000 sq metres of plastic sheeting arrived. While the farmers have some vegetable seeds, Concern has agreed to provide cucumber, egg plant, garlic, onion, spinach, pumpkin and chilli pepper seeds. The plastic is expected to survive for up to four years.

Earlier in February, Concern delivered 350,000 sq metres of a thinner type of plastic and this will shield rice seed beds from frost, before they are transplanted later.

An agriculturist will shortly join the Concern team in North Korea. In 1998 Concern hopes to assist Pyongsong's farmers with other agricultural activities.

Chickens and small animals such as goats and pigs will be distributed. Other activities which the North Korean farmers are familiar with, such as fish-farming and mushroom-growing, will also be assisted.

At the end of the year, Concern will import winter wheat seeds, barley seeds and fertiliser from China so Pyongsong's farmers may be able to produce a second crop in one year rather than just one crop.

The North Korean farmer is like any farmer. He is a hard worker, willing to put in long hours. But sometimes nature can be cruel and destroy his or her efforts.

Even without natural calamity, this year North Korea will not achieve self-sufficiency. Large amounts of food aid will continue to be required. Concern believes that along with this food aid, agricultural assistance is the best way to help the country.

With Concern's assistance and that of others, it is hoped North Korea's farmers can produce much more, thus reducing their dependency on international food aid.

Michael McDonagh is a field of- ficer in North Korea for Concern