The National Ministry of Agriculture and UNDP on Thursday signed US$16.8 million grants agreement to support rural farmers across the country.
The deal is with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP).
UNDP said the Rural Enterprises for Agricultural Development (READ) project would improve food security among targeted households, increase income levels, and enhance resilience against economic and environmental shocks and stresses in Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Upper Nile, Western Equatoria, and Eastern Equatoria.
Speaking to the media during the signing of the MoU, the National Minister for Agriculture, Josephine Lagu, highlighted the importance of implementing the project to reduce the dependence on imported foods.
“We all consume products from the neighboring countries, but we all have the resources to start producing seriously in this country. We can feed ourselves and our people can earn decent wages and livelihoods. That is why this project is important,” she said.
Lagu further urged the implementing agencies to fully commit their efforts to the project in order to produce good results and reiterated her full supervision at all levels.
“We have to do everything to ensure that, we don’t fail our people. I want you to demonstrate commitment to the implementation of this project so that it succeeds,” the minister said.
UNDP Country Representative Dr Mohamed Abchir said the US$17 million would support addressing the challenges they were facing at the grassroots level.
“I am very happy because at the end of the day we are going to make the beneficiaries happy. People have been talking about challenges but today I say that we are going to benefit from this initiative,’’ he said.
He assured of UNDP’s continuous support and partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture to address food insecurity in South Sudan
The READ project intends to reach approximately 162,315 households across seven agricultural value chains and UNDP is committed to building resilient rural enterprises, strengthening food systems, and uplifting the communities.