The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has signed a four-year contract with Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), a global development company, to increase resilience through agriculture in the 13 counties of five states that are the focus of USAID’s development strategy in South Sudan, the agency said in a press statement today.
“These 13 counties are among the poorest, most isolated, and least assisted places in South Sudan. By focusing multi-layered assistance in these severely underdeveloped counties, USAID seeks to build community and household resilience,” The USAID statement read. “As a result, these communities will be better able to withstand shocks including floods and conflict, and to become more self-sufficient, thereby requiring less emergency assistance.”
The counties which will benefit from the activity are Kapoeta North and Budi counties in Eastern Equatoria State, Akobo, Duk, Pibor, and Uror counties in Jonglei State and Leer, Mayendit, and Panyijar counties in Unity State.
The others are Baliet and Ulang counties in Upper Nile State and Jur River and Wau counties in Western Bahr-el Ghazal.
The USAID/South Sudan mission director, Haven Cruz-Hubbard, said, “With ongoing challenges in South Sudan including severe floods, displacement due to community-level conflict and natural disasters, and the economic impacts of COVID-19 and other economic shocks, building resilience is essential.”
He added: “This activity will help households gain skills and create community assets to withstand these shocks without being forced to sell all their assets, and thus help end the vicious cycle of compounding poverty and hunger.”
According to the press statement, the new Resilience through Agriculture in South Sudan activity builds on the successes of USAID’s ongoing Policy Leadership, Interactions, Networks and Knowledge (LINK) community resilience activity implemented by DAI since 2020, and Sustainable Agriculture for Economic Resiliency activities implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations since 2017.