SFC in Southern Sudan: By Gloria Laker Aciro - July 29th 2008

The high prices of food in the northern and West Nile districts of Uganda may soon reduce following increased food and cash crop production by the Sudanese farmers.

Traders have been exporting livestock and foodstuffs such as cassava, beans, rice and maize from Uganda to Southern Sudan, which they sold for huge profits. This caused food shortage in Uganda leading to rising food prices.

However, farmers in Southern Sudan have now taken on agricultural production after the recent introduction of modern farming methods.

Because of this, they will start consuming what they produce and they will not need to import food from Uganda.

With the new development, the northern Uganda districts bordering Sudan will also start getting food from Sudan as the first harvest starts in August.

Farmers in Southern Sudan have also formed groups.

One such group is Savannah Farmers Cooperative (SFC) Society, which is encouraging Sudanese farmers to engage in agriculture and use modern farming methods. The group was formed in 2001 during a famine in Southern Sudan. More than 400,000 farmers are benefiting from the cooperative society.

Zamba Duku, the managing director of the cooperative society, says the farmers were refugees in Uganda and other countries.

Duku said SFC trains them in better farming practices and rents out to them tractors and trucks to plough their land.

Cash crop growing

Farmers are encouraged to grow food crops with great cash potential, such as maize, beans, cassava and groundnuts. Being the staple foods of the people, such crops have a good market potential.

The farmers have also embarked on growing Indian food crops like green and black grams and chicken peas, which they plan to export to Europe and North America.

What farmers say

Joseph Nyombe says he has become independent. “I no longer wait for relief food like I used to. I can also send my children to school. I have also improved on production and I hope to do much better,” he said.

Jennifer Kiden also thanks SFC for training her in the use of modern farming methods, which have led to an increase in food production. “I now get enough food for my family and sell the rest for money to meet other family needs.”