Officials from Ministry of Agriculture and Food security announced their take off to participate in the upcoming Second United Nations Food Systems Summit Stocktake (UNFSS+4), in Addis Ababa.
The event schedule for next week would be an opportunity for South Sudan to display, interact and showcase its progress and ambitions for agricultural transformation. Despite having fertile land South Sudan continue to face hunger.
In a move to boost Agriculture, the government has embarked on several projects to support and boost food production.
President Salva Kiir and other government officials in addition to having farms reiterated the need for Citizens to pick up Agriculture. However, such call remains in question due to issue of insecurity across the states and administrative areas.
In line with getting more skills and knowledge from other countries in the world, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. Hussein Abdelbagi Akol issued a statement extended to the media, citing that interacting with other countries during the summit remains important.
“The summit is a timely opportunity for us to showcase our efforts, forge new partnerships, and mobilize the support needed to unlock South Sudan’s agricultural potential,” he said in the statement.
Minister Akol added that South Sudan will use the submit to showcase their progress and ambitions for agricultural transformation, especially as the government declared 2025 the “Year of Agriculture.
It also underlined that despite its significant potential, South Sudan’s agriculture sector continues to face multiple challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, limited access to inputs and financing, climate-related shocks, and pockets of insecurity.
The statement further highlighted that Smallholder farmers, the backbone of the sector, often struggle with low productivity due to the lack of modern tools, agricultural extension services, and post-harvest technologies.
The UNFSS+4 summit would bring together global leaders, experts, and stakeholders to review the progress made in transforming food systems worldwide, in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
South Sudan’s active participation reflects its growing commitment to food systems reform and sustainable development.