SOUTH SUDAN / SOUTH KOREAN PEACEKEEPERS RICE TRAINING

A few years ago, the effects of climate change hit farmers in South Sudan’s low-lying, flood-prone Jonglei State. The impact was devastating, with many of them helplessly watching their crops and livelihoods being swept away or damaged.

SOUNDBITE (English) John Chol, Farmer, Bor:
“I was having mango trees, about 400 mango trees, guava, lemon and teak, fruit trees. But when flood came in 2020, it destroyed everything.”

Realizing that the new, wetter weather patterns weren’t likely to go away and that other traditional staples like sorghum and maize would continue to be at serious risk of being wiped out, something had to be done.

In June 2023, agricultural scientists at the John Garang University in Bor, inspired and supported South Korean peacekeepers serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) came up with what to some seemed like a crazy idea: Why not try growing rice, a grain known to thrive where water is plentiful?

Since then, some 150 farming men and women in and around Bor have learnt the nitty-gritty of every phase involved in cultivating the grain, with John Chol being one of the latest graduates.

SOUNDBITE (English) John Chol, Farmer, Bor:
“We (farmers) were mobilized by the John Garang University to go and see how the rice is going on with UNMISS. So, I went there, we were given seeds. We were told to go and plant the seed.”

On 10 August, a couple of months after having cleared one acre of a new plot of land, John did exactly that. On this day, some three months later, he is busy harvesting the fruits of his labour.

The 15 sacks (750 kilos) of rice that he is expecting to net from his small test area have turned previously curious but doubting neighbours into believers.

SOUNDBITE(English) John Chol, Farmer, Bor:
“When I started planting here, they came and said, ‘what are you doing?’ I said I’m planting rice. They said, ‘can rice germinate here?’ and I said it can germinate. They see now the rice is ready. What they are telling me is that we are going to help you weeding. They came, I gave them nothing, they are clearing it and they say, ‘Next year we will join you in rice planting’. This is where I talk with people of power and I say that we have around 200 women who want to plant rice next year.”

With such demand for training, university professors, South Korean peacekeepers, and former students assisting in teaching newcomers the rice ropes will be kept busy for years to come.

SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Ajak Ateny, Rice farmer and mentor for new students, Bor:

“It is a really impactful training for my myself, the students that I have trained, and for the farmers. The impact is that we have got a skill that will last forever, and we are going into rice production, economic improvement and also food security improvement. Plus 4’07- 4’16 Through the production, we are now selling the rice, and it is also being consumed at the farm and market level.”
The curriculum for beneficiaries of the vocational training is extensive and includes soil preparation, planting techniques, best pest-control practices, irrigation and water management methods. Perhaps its most outstanding feature, however, is how to operate different kinds of machinery that can significantly increase productivity.
SOUNDBITE (English) Peter Ajak Ateny, Rice farmer and mentor for new students:

“The first time we produced around 500 kilos, when we were using manual (methods), and then we progressed when we introduced the machines. So, we started by harvesting two tons, and now we are harvesting five tons.”
Had it not been for South Sudan’s dry season, his annual output would have been even bigger. A few months without rain means that the Jonglei pioneers have to make do with three instead of four harvests per year.
Still, the additional income their produce can generate goes a long way. John uses his to pay school fees for his seven children, and for his eldest son, who is about to finish secondary school, he has a plan.
SOUNDBITE(English) John Chol, Farmer, Bor:
“I say that I will take you to university so that you can study agriculture. When you come back from there, you can tell me, ‘My father, the farming is not supposed to be done that way’. So, I told him that he has to study agriculture, because in agriculture, this is where we can get food.”

The UN peacekeepers involved in the rice farming project share the joy experienced by the many women and men who have graduated from the training provided.

SOUNDBITE(English) Sergeant Yeo Young Gu, South Korean peacekeeper:
“I'm truly proud and grateful for the abundant results we are seeing today, from rice cultivation to orchard farming, and even the transfer of agricultural skills. The hard work and sweat shared by our HANBIT unit soldiers and the local community have all come together to make this possible.”
Planning is already underway for a new batch of trainees, who are expected to be able to try their extended farming wings by the time the next planting season begins.