WONSAN, North Korea – First came an extended dry spell in the spring, followed by a summer of flash floods and typhoons.

Now, with North Korean farmers preparing to head out into autumn fields to cut and thresh the nation's most important crop, rice, there are renewed concerns that continued harsh weather will mean another shortfall of food in this chronically hungry land.

There had been high hopes for better crop yields this year following the implementation of more modern farming techniques, said Kang Su Ik, a professor at North Korea's premier agricultural school. But those hopes have faded in what has proven to be another tough year for farmers in the disaster-prone North.