Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security support for FAO Emergency Livelihood Response Programme
Emergency livelihood kit distribution in Juba in partnership with World Vision International
Juba, 12 June 2017 – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and World Vision International (WVI) to fight hunger and strengthen livelihoods through emergency crop, vegetable and fishing kit distribution in Juba.
At an event to launch the kit distributions, FAO thanked the Ministry for its continued support to FAO’s emergency livelihood response programme. FAO has a longstanding relationship with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in South Sudan, and the Ministry remains FAO’s primary technical partner in many areas such as knowledge and skills transfer, seed security assessments, community based seed production, and seed quality assurance for both locally produced and imported seeds. The event
highlighted how through coordinated and integrated interventions it is enhancing the resilience of households and communities.
The event included remarks by representatives from WVI, FAO, State and National Farmers’ Unions and the beneficiary community. Government representatives included the County Commissioner, the State Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, the Representative for the National Minister of Agriculture and Food Security and the Deputy Governor of Jubek State. The event concluded with the distribution of the emergency crop, vegetable and fishing kits.
FAO’s Officer-in-Charge highlighted the importance of the approach stating: “FAO in partnership with World Vision and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security recognize the critical need to tackle food insecurity by providing people with an opportunity to produce their own food. With these livelihood kits, families can grow vegetables, as well as cowpea and sorghum and take advantage of water sources along the Nile basin to catch fish, providing vital and nutritious food that benefits their families and even their communities.”
The Minister has previously reaffirmed this point, confirming the necessity of FAO’s emergency livelihood response programme, stating: “Food security is the concern of all people, but the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and its partners like FAO will be the main engine of the change by supporting farmers with relevant agricultural tools, seeds and training.”
In 2017, 900 000 households have been targeted for support across the country, and with current funding FAO has already reached 466 666 households with livelihood assistance (crop, fishing and vegetable kits). The economic crisis has strained urban and peri-urban populations which are more dependent on markets and wages for their livelihoods.
WVI is a key partner to FAO in many countries, and our partnership in South Sudan is particularly critical to addressing the extraordinary levels of food insecurity in the country. In Juba, WVI has been a strong partner in distributing crop, vegetable and fishing kits. Additionally, in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, WVI has provided training to farmers on improved methods of farming including post harvest handling and value addition.
“Through this partnership with FAO, World Vision is using an integrated approach that builds on other food and livelihood projects for sustainability and improved food security for 21 000 households in Central Equatorial and Warrap States. For Central Equatorial, the project is supporting 14 000 households in Juba and peri-urban area which adds up to close to 80 000 people,” says Perry Mansfield, National Director for World Vision South Sudan.
Contact: Lieke Visser (FAO Communication Specialist)
Telephone: +211922001661
Email: Lieke.Visser@fao.org
