The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Thursday donated an assortment of seeds to the office of the Youth Union in Western Bahr el Ghazal state, Wau.
The donation came just weeks after the minister of agriculture in the state allocated farmland to the Youth Union.
Akuei Jacob, FAO National Area Coordinator in Wau, said the donation allows the youth to participate in food security.
“As FAO, we work towards improving food security and nutrition of the vulnerable and the youth. So ideally, we have donated 50 bags of sorghum, we have donated 50 bags of maize and 40 bags of cowpeas to the youth,” Jacob said.
He said the donation is in response to a call by the youth wishing to cultivate the farmland.
“They requested from our office and they have a ready farm where they are able the showcase to the community their hard work and we have issues of bringing seeds normally late so we have taken this as an opportunity for the youth to have chance to clear their land so that these seeds can be planted early at the onset of the rain,” he said.
The secretary for academic affairs and youth empowerment in the Youth Union, Arkangelo David Mboro, acknowledged FAO’s role in supporting the local population to fight hunger.
“As youth, we have no source of income, we went to the FAO and told them that we want seeds, they support us with something small and told us that it’s a beginning to allow us to start the first step. They brought us 50 bags of sorghum, 50 bags of maize, and 40 bags of beans,” said Mboro.
The youth leader also requested the UN food agency to offer them technical support in their new venture.