Farm Project to Support Refugees and Host Farmers Begins in Yei

(YEI RIVER COUNTY) – A new farm project has been officially launched in Yei to support refugees and host communities with improved food production and better links to markets.

The Rescue and Relief Mission, with financial and technical support from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in South Sudan, has launched the Fostering Agricultural Resilience and Market Linkages project, known as the FARM project.

The project will be implemented in Yei River County and is aimed at strengthening food security, improving household incomes and supporting climate smart agriculture practices.

The project also focuses on supporting the formation and strengthening of agribusiness cooperatives. These cooperatives are expected to help farmers work together, access markets more easily and increase their production in a sustainable way.

Wani Moses, the Director of the Rescue and Relief Mission, said the project will help build resilience among refugees and host communities.

He explained that it will also promote the wise use of natural resources and strengthen cooperation among farmers. According to him, cooperative farming will be an important part of the project in order to support long term sustainability.

He added that women play a critical role in ensuring food availability at household level. For this reason, the project encourages women to take an active part in all farming activities.

The project has started in the areas of Pokula and Logobero within Yei River County, with forty members in each location. There are plans to gradually increase the number of participants to sixty and then to one hundred people in each area in the future.

There are an estimated two thousand refugees living in Yei who need support to improve their livelihoods. Through the FARM project, they will be given tools and basic equipment to engage in farming so that they can grow food for their families and earn an income.

The Assistant Commissioner for Environment under the County Agriculture Department called on all farmers to plant more trees as they open up new land for cultivation.

He said trees help to maintain rainfall levels and protect the environment. He warned that deforestation can contribute to drought, which is marked by a lack of rain and can affect food production in the area.

The launch of the FARM project is expected to play an important role in strengthening food security, supporting cooperation among communities and improving the lives of both refugees and host populations in Yei River County and the surrounding areas.