Irish potatoes in Southern Sudan

On the 9th July 2011, South Sudan will become the 193rd country of the world and the 54th country in the African Union!  Farm Africa has long worked with communities in Southern Sudan and our work in this area will continue after independence – working with farmers and herders as they build a prosperous country.

Farm Africa started work on a new project in Kapoeta North and South counties in Southern Sudan in May 2010 and, after conducting an initial assessment, found that sorghum is the most widely grown crop in these areas.  Many farmers rely solely on sorghum rather than growing a variety of crops due to a scarcity of seeds.  It is cheaper for farmers to use sorghum seeds from their previous harvest than to buy seeds – this often results in low yields. This puts farmers and their families at risk of hunger if their sorghum harvest is small, or fails completely. 

Farm Africa is working with farmers to help them to establish demonstration sites where they can trial different seeds and learn about improved agricultural techniques such as spacing their seeds.  Farm Africa has provided these farmers with seeds to grow a variety of vegetables, including cabbages, coriander and even Irish potatoes!  

The farmers are also testing a different variety of sorghum which is drought-tolerant and matures quickly, allowing it to withstand the dry spells common in these areas.