The plant is a major source of food energy and a major food security crop.

VOA: special.2010.06.08

In its November 2012 crop and food security assessment, the U.N. predicted a gap of 207, 000 tons of food this year in North Korea.

CNN: Don't be fooled by Dennis Rodman's trip to North Korea

But the greatest boon of all to food security and to the environment in the long term may be the ability of new crop varieties to tolerate periods of drought and other water-related stresses.

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