The African Development Bank (AfDB) Friday approved a grant of $8.1 million to South Sudan to fund its Emergency Food Production Programme.
The grant, through the Transition Support Facility, constitutes additional financing to the ongoing Agricultural Markets, Value Addition and Trade Development Project (AMVAT) that seeks to contribute to reduced food insecurity, poverty reduction, economic growth and building of community and household resilience and social cohesion.
In a statement, AfDB said, This Emergency Food Production Programme targets an additional 600,000 of the most vulnerable groups in five states where recent severe flooding has affected hundreds of thousands of households and resulted in heavy crop and livestock losses: Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Eastern Equatoria and Western Equatoria. Those who have received food aid in recent years – half of them are women – will get priority.”
Nnenna Nwabufo, the Bank’s Director General for East Africa, said, “it is a continuation of the of the performing AMVAT project, but with a focus on the emergency food crisis and disruption of supply of critical inputs for food production in South Sudan.”
The project will boost agricultural production and productivity in these five states using improved seeds, fertilizer, and extension services for farmers and to strengthen the institutional capacity of the agricultural sector, according to the bank.
The statement further says, 498 million tonnes of sorghum seeds, the same amount of cowpea seeds, and 10 million tonnes of rice seeds will be distributed to farmers, who will also receive 30 million tonnes of fertilizer.
“To ensure that these measures are effective and sustainable, the project has provided for the training of thousands of farmers, nearly half of whom are women, on good agronomic practices and the right application of fertilizer,” said Themba Bhebhe, the Bank Group’s Country Manager for South Sudan.
Once completed, the project will lead to a sustainable increase in the country’s agricultural production and productivity, higher incomes, and, improved quality of life for farmers. It will also help promote climate-smart agriculture and enhance the country’s food security.
To ensure continuity, implementation of the Emergency Food Production Programme has been entrusted to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, which is already implementing the AMVAT Project.