Authorities in Aweil North County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, report that climate change disruptions have hampered local food production efforts despite extensive cultivation by resident farmers.
Paramount Chief Ken Barjok Ken of Malual Center Community told Radio Tamazuj over the weekend that crops failed due to the prolonged absence of rains and unexpected continued rainfall starting from July.
“The agricultural season was affected in Malual Center Payam as farmers commenced cultivation early, but prolonged drought led to harvest failure,” explained Chief Barjok. He noted that rains resumed in July, persisting and causing the destruction of sorghum, sesame, and groundnut crops that struggle to thrive in excessively wet conditions.
He cautioned that his community is on the brink of severe hunger as most families rely on the local market for food, compounded by high food prices, scarcity, and the influx of Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees to the area.
Yol Akoon, a local farmer from the Marol Deng Geng highlands, acknowledged the devastation and attributed it to the untimely rainfall. He emphasized that the months of May, June, and July are optimal for cultivation and weeding activities.
“In relation to the crop failure in the area, it is accurate because there was a shortage of rainfall, and the rains did not come at the right times. The ideal months for successful cultivation are May, June, and part of July, but the rains started around mid-August,” explained Akoon.
Beta Diing Wol, the Director-General for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, disclosed that the state has been significantly affected by climate change, leading to reduced food production.
Diing stated, “Agricultural updates are grim in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State due to the impact of climate change. While rainfall varied from county to county, it commenced in the first week of August. Despite some production, the harvest levels are disappointingly low.”
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