South Sudan
South Sudan has a vast natural resource base and huge agricultural potential, with more than 90% of the land being suitable for farming.
However, the 20-year civil war that affected South Sudan has had a devastating effect. Much of the south of the country has been left in ruins, with little discernible infrastructure and a lack of social services like education and healthcare. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that up to eight million people were displaced from their homes, and they are gradually returning with few possessions and prospects. Aerial raids and ground attacks meant that those who stayed were unable to work in the fields and reluctant to invest in their farms.
FARM-Africa is providing people returning to the area with the support and investment they need to farm the land effectively.
Our projects
FARM-Africa is helping the communities to develop sustainable means to earn a living based on livestock and agriculture. FARM-Africa is one of the only international development organisations in South Sudan working on the rehabilitation of agricultural livelihoods.
At the request of the Government of Southern Sudan, FARM-Africa began working in the area after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. FARM-Africa staff are based in mobile outreach camps, which helps them to work at the heart of the communities and to respond to the particular challenges these communities face.
FARM-Africa is working on the rehabilitation of agricultural livelihoods in South Sudan |
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Food Security and Livelihoods Improvement Project People are now returning to South Sudan following years of civil war. FARM-Africa is providing the tools, training and access to water that communities need to farm the fertile land around them. |
This project addresses the key problems faced by farmers in Central Equatoria, one of the 10 states of South Sudan. FARM-Africa is helping around 2,000 farmers to grow a bigger, higher quality cassava crop. |
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Now that South Sudan is a more peaceful area, FARM-Africa wants to continue to help families returning to the area to build and develop rural livelihoods such as rearing livestock and small-scale farming. In the long term we aim to reduce the area's reliance on food aid.
- We will further develop our model of post-conflict livelihoods support and widen our work to cover new areas. This model we are developing will also form a basis for livelihood development in other remote areas characterised by severe underdevelopment.
- We will continue to develop working partnerships with government staff and research institutions in South Sudan. This way we can impact policy development and the long-term quality of life for returnees.
