FOODWORKS AIDS SOUTH SUDAN

CAMP Technical Team member interviewing a fisherman
at Dolieb Hill, Upper Nile State

Working on the JICA-funded Comprehensive Agricultural Development Master Plan (CAMP) for South Sudan 2012 - 2015 

FoodWorks has provided a staff member to assist in the production of the Comprehensive Agricultural Development Master Plan (CAMP) for South Sudan, a JICA funded project. Mr Robert Lindley, the Foodworks Senior Managing Partner and Fisheries Specialist (click here to see Robert's profile) worked with the CAMP team in 2012 and 2013 to assist the team to produce the Situation Analysis Report and then the Interim Report of CAMP.

After a short delay due to the outbreak of civil war in South Sudan, in June 2014 Mr Lindley is again returning to Africa, initially based in Kampala, accompanied by Dr. Jerry Turnbull, a Foodworks Senior Associate Partner and livestock specialist, who is also joining CAMP in 2014.  The two Foodworks staff will be cooperating with the South Sudan CAMP Technical Teams and the other JICA funded CAMP Technical Experts to produce the Investment Plan which is to be one of the main components of the Master Plan, to be produced by March 2015.

A significant feature of CAMP is that the whole process is led by the Government of South Sudan, through a Steering Committee comprised of senior members of government, and a Technical Team (TT), which has undertaken the day to day activities of the project; assisted by the Technical Experts provided under the JICA assistance. In addition “Focal Points” have been appointed in each of the states of South Sudan and serve as the links between the project and the States’ governments and rural stakeholders.  Ownership of the outputs of the project by the South Sudan Government, States and others is thus assured.. 

Mr Lindley led a team of four staff members of the Fisheries Department who traveled widely throughout South Sudan collecting information on the fisheries of the various states, working with focal points, states’ governments and the other stakeholders to collect data which was analysed and compiled into one chapter of the situation analysis and presented at a stakeholders meeting in late 2013.  There are several significant findings coming from this Situation Analysis, including:

Women fishing using cover pots.
Kuom Payam, near Aweil.  Western Bahr-el-Gazal State.

·       Consumption of fish is approximately 17kg/year per capita.  This figure in itself is not surprising, being comparable to other countries with similar abundant inland fish resources in Africa.  What is surprising is that the “official” figures, internally, from FAO, and elsewhere give consumption of less than 2kg/year/capita.

·       To provide this amount of fish the catch must be in the order of 140,000 tonnes/year.  Much higher than any other estimates.

·       There are at least 220,000 people engaged in fishing activity in the country with at least 1.7 million people living in households directly relying on fisheries for livelihood, food security or employment.  Again this is significantly higher than previously thought.

·        Potential yields are unknown with any accuracy, and no system is in place to measure potential, so it is essential to introduce fisheries co-management systems based on the “precautionary approach”, and “ecosystems approach”.  It is also very urgent to strengthen the National and States’ Governments capacity to manage.

All these are very important conclusions because they not only emphasise the importance of fisheries in the national economy and for food security and nutrition, but also highlight the difficulties and challenges in management of the fish resources in a sustainable manner for the future.

Mr. Lindley weighing dried fish in Malakal, Upper Nile State

For the Interim Report at the end of 2013, (of which the Situation Analysis is an Annex) the Fisheries Technical Team, advised by Mr Lindley, outlined two differing 25 year scenarios which may occur in fisheries in South Sudan, with, and without, wise management of the capture fisheries.  These showed that 120,000 tonnes of potential production from fisheries and aquaculture would be lost if proper management of the resources was not effected and as a result serious overfishing occurred  Examples from other African fisheries were used to illustrate the pitfalls of failing to adequate control the rise in effort and subsequent overfishing in inland fisheries.

In 2012 and 2013 the project was implemented by the International Development Corporation of Japan (IDCJ) and the JIN Corporation.  In early 2014 the JIN Corporation will take over the management of the project.  Foodworks looks forward to a long and fruitful co-operation with the JIN Corporation on CAMP and other projects in the future.

Mr Lindley measuring a gill net on the Nile at Nimule, Central Equatoria State

For more information contact Robert Lindley on rhlindley@foodworks.ag

AG SECTOR ASSESSMENT IN SOUTH SUDAN

We have just completed an assessment of agriculture in the Equatorial Region of the world's newest country (on 9th July South Sudan becomes the world's 193rd country). The work involved extensive field trips West of Juba to Yambio (by plane and road) and around Yei in Central Equatoria State and Torit in the East. We also took a look at the Uganda border point at Nimule that feeds almost all foodstuffs up the main road to Juba.

That the most important feature of the sector; Juba is expanding wildly with the excitement of independence from the Muslim North and an influx of Sudanese returnees and Kenyan and Ugandan job-seekers. But almost all the food is imported despite the enormous potential of the so-called "Greenbelt" that runs along the border with Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. While Eastern Equatoria is rather dry, once one moves West past Yei the land is green all year round. This is classic equatorial rainforest with up to 2,000 mm of rain annually and reasonably good soils; potentially this region can be the bread and fruit basket of Africa.

However the emphasis should be on the word "potential" because right now there is almost no infrastructure to support commercial smallholdings. The main roads are reasonable, and one can reach Juba from Yambio (right in the heartland of the greenbelt and a considerable town) in 9 hours, but there are no post harvest facilities (cooling, drying, storage) etc. and the largest single donor-funded project FARM SUDAN (USAID, $55 million) aimed at tackling this lack has been stymied by confused policies and administrative difficulties.

So through much of the region one finds returnee homesteaders struggling with very limited resources to re-establish their small plots of maize, sorghum and cassava. These people receive seeds and tools from the many NGOs operating emergency relief but the "truck and chuck" approach doesn't really engender sustainable development and there has to be a paradigm change before the potential of the Greenbelt is realised. In the meantime food security is an important issue with the World Food Programme (WFP) estimating a possible 3 million people are at risk.

The other issue is foreign investment. There is huge interest in the area - for example we came across Dole looking at pineapple in Yambio. Large-scale investment in agriculture will have to be handled very carefully with regard both for the returnees who own the land under traditional rights (so it's not simply a case of the new Government giving concessions away) and the hugely sensitive rainforest environment. Climate change is a real issue here and it is inexplicable that USAID has discounted this in their approach to development in South Sudan (an assertion made on the basis of a direct quote from responsible persons in the AID Mission in Juba).

Another concern is the influence of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in some of the most productive land between Yei and Yambio. We saw burned-out villages and social infratsucture (clinics, schools). We also saw elements of the Ugandan Defence Force deep inside Sudanese territory, so the question of civil instability is raised.

Despite these concerns, one can be optimistic about the future. Once South Sudan joins the East African Community (EAC) as indeed it will shortly after 9th July, we will see much more assistance and investment from neighbouring countries. Food supply to the cities and support for the development of a viable smallholder sub-sector will remain the areas for work going forwards.

For a more personal perspective on Southern Sudan, please check out Quartermaine's World

Photos:

Smallholder near Torit, Eastern Equatoria State

Aerial view of gardens over the Greenbelt

Progressive farmer at Yambio, Western Equatoria State