FAO Digital Media Hub - SOUTH SUDAN 2023. Building food system resilience in fragile settings: seed sector development in Western Bahr el Ghazal State

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SOUTH SUDAN 2023. Building food system resilience in fragile settings: seed sector development in Western Bahr el Ghazal State

15 July 2023, Western Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan - A woman in her sorghum field in Marial Ajith, in the Western Bahr el Ghazal. Having benefited from recent rains, the Sorghum stands tall and will be ready for harvest from the end of August.

Photo credit must be given to: ©FAO/Akuot Mayak. Editorial use only. Copyright FAO.

07/15/2023

Country South Sudan

UNFAO Source FAO Photo Library

File size 17.91 MB

Unique ID UF15DS7

FAO. Editorial use only. Photo credit must be given. Photo-Library@fao.org

Background Information

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Resilience Program for Food and Nutrition Security (FNS-REPRO), funded by the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is a four-year plan that addresses the cause-effect between conflict and food insecurity in Sudan, Somalia and South Sudan. This is the first FAO program in East Africa designed specifically to promote peace and food security on a large scale. The seed sector has been selected as an entry point into the FNS-REPRO value chain in South Sudan. For many generations, farmers have faced shortages of quality seeds and planting materials that hampered their ability to produce sufficient food for family consumption and market sale. Despite this, communities in South Sudan are still able to produce, trade and grow seeds, taking advantage of existing skills and resources. Capacity building of the agricultural seed value chain is a promising path to support agricultural development and promote economic growth and sustainability. Opportunities exist to develop value chains in the seed sector. First with the aim of closing the gap in cereal production, while providing more diverse products for local, national and export markets - and for better nutrition at the household level. Therefore, FNS-REPRO worked to increase the resilience of communities and their food security status:
• address constraints on the accessibility, availability, affordability and quality of seed of adapted varieties through an integrated seed system approach;
• improve seed quality assurance to strengthen farmer confidence and stimulate demand for quality seeds;
• Strengthen formal and informal outlets and local markets for agricultural inputs through support for farmers' organizations and small entrepreneurs;
• develop institutional and organizational capacities to support the creation of an integrated, sustainable, resilient and robust seed system; AND
• offer opportunities for conservation of crop biodiversity in order to improve the resilience of the seed and crop system.
In July 2023, FAO Country Office in South Sudan, FAO Sub-Regional Office for East Africa (Resilience Team) and Wageningen University (FAO partner in the programme) visited the western state of Bahr el Gazal to take stock of the results and lessons learned from the last three years of implementation - with a view to improving future programming. FNS-REPRO's engagement in Western Bahr el Gazal began in 2021, incorporating a number of villages in several counties. The project is one of the few long-term initiatives in the field of seed sector development, a feature that has not gone unnoticed in the communities.