Like many African countries, Southern Sudan has arable land, fertile soils, significant water resources, and favourable climatic conditions suitable for crop production on more than 70% of the country’s 631,928. square kilometres of land area. In addition to receiving much rain, the Nile flows through Southern Sudan, crossing its borders with Uganda. The Nile water basin, which contributes most of the available surface water and a plethora of well-endowed water bodies, can be used for irrigation. It includes the vast Sudd swamp region, formed by the White Nile and known locally as the Bahr al Jabal, which means “Mountain River.”
However, decades of civil wars fought primarily in what is now Southern Sudan before and after independence, coupled with traditional farming practices characterized by a lack of productivity-improving technologies and inadequate infrastructure for a long time, limited the agricultural productivity in South Sudan. The country has one of the highest refugee populations in foreign countries, i.e., 2.4 million displaced by the conflicts. As of December 2020, Agriculture, forestry, and fishing accounted for 9.6% of the country’s annual GDP. This is the lowest among the neighbouring countries like Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which have an output between 20.9% to 28.6% of their GDPs. Though the country continues to suffer from recurring episodes of acute food insecurity, only 4% of the total land area is currently under crop cultivation.
Out of a population of 11.4 million as of December 2021, 79.5% live in rural areas, and their livelihoods depend on agriculture; up to 95% of the population rely on some form of agricultural activities (farming, herding, or fishing) as the primary economic sector and source of livelihoods, while 50% of the population lives below the poverty line with future scenarios predicting a worsening food security situation. This situation suggests that agriculture is a key sector in the post-conflict recovery, political stability, and economic development of Southern Sudan.
Due to these issues, Ten Yams Investment proposes to establish an agricultural project to cultivate maize in the Equatoria District. While maize will be used as an anchor project and a model framing project, TYI has plans to intrude a full range of complimentary agricultural products under its banner. The pioneer project intends to help farmers increase agricultural productivity, build resilience at the household and community levels, and help South Sudanese communities affected by economic, conflict, or environment-related shocks. The project is expected to improve agricultural productivity and food security by transforming agriculture from a traditional subsistence system to a science-based one, focusing on mechanized farming using new technology, provision of improved seeds, agrochemicals, farm machinery and credit facility to farmers. The project will strive to seek domestic and foreign markets for agricultural products to help farmers obtain a fair price. The project will restore and diversify livelihoods, strengthen community and intercommunal resource-sharing and management practices, and protect and strengthen the agricultural productivity of vulnerable households and communities. These interventions will focus on the Equatoria District.