Cairo/Khartoum – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has kicked off its emergency seeds distribution campaign to reach farmers in key regions, ensuring that they have the necessary resources to meet food production needs. This comes as a response to the urgency of the ongoing main crop production season (June – October 2023) in the country. With the support of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Central Emergency Response Fund, FAO plans to reach and assist over one million vulnerable farmers and their families (5 million people) with 10 000 tonnes of sorghum, millet, groundnut and sesame seeds for planting across 17 States.
To date, FAO has delivered 3,300 tonnes of seeds to 8 states (Blue Nile, Gedarif, Kassala, Sennar, White Nile, Red Sea, South Kordofan, North Kordofan) and started the distribution to farmers. FAO is committed to continue delivery and distribution of these urgent seeds amidst the security and logistics challenges.
“The need for swift agricultural support in the Sudan is paramount. While much work lies ahead, we are fully committed to leveraging this crucial planting season’s window of opportunity and our efforts on the ground continue daily,” stated Hongjie Yang, FAO Representative in Sudan. “Our goal is to navigate the complex security and logistical challenges to continue to reach farmers in the country with this time-sensitive assistance.”
The Organization’s emergency seed distribution will allow vulnerable farmers to plant and produce enough food (up to 3 million tonnes of cereals) between November–December 2023 to cover the cereal requirements of around 13-19 million people.
FAO remains steadfast in its mission to save livelihoods and lives and ensure food access and production in the Sudan. By bolstering local food production and safeguarding agrifood systems, the Organization aims to alleviate acute food insecurity, reduce human suffering and curb the likely expanding humanitarian burden in the coming months.
To date, FAO has raised nearly $20 million against the total of $95.4 million to reach 15 million people with multiple life-saving interventions including providing farmers with seeds and farming equipment and protecting and restocking pastoralists’ livestock herds.
