This article was last updated on May 26, 2022
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The project was initiated to strengthen farmer organizations all over South Sudan funded by Norwegian Development Agency (NORAD) through the Norwegian People’s Aid.
The project officer and facilitator during the workshop, Peter Majur, for NPA says the workshop was part of strategy in strengthening farmer organizations in Jonglei and South Sudan in general.
Majur said that after formation of farmer associations they will be able to move to each and every county in the state such that farmers have voices to present their issues directly to the government and private sectors in South Sudan particularly in Jonglei state.
He said that NPA is planning to extend their capacity building to all counties so that they form farmer association which will later be brought to state capital for formation of farmers union.
“We are planning actually to form associations in eleven counties and later on in March we will bring all the formers association representatives to the state headquarters so that they formed Jonglei farmers union if we have funding ,” Majur told Gurtong.
He said the union and association shall present different forums whether at the state level or at the national level.
“We have trained them on how they can generate their own resources through their original groups. Each representative which will be sent to county farmers’ association must be a member of certain group somewhere,” he said.
Peter said that those groups shall be subscribed to farmers association at county level and then the county association shall subscribe to the state union to enable them get some external support.
He said if farmers are well organized, then the production that the president of South Sudan is taking about can be realized in a very short time, adding that they may have organized people if there are resources to be channelled to them to extent their support.
Peter Majur says those farmers will be able to have bargaining power to get assistance.
All the participants where very interested during the workshop initiated by NPA with aim to achieve their goals in future after formation of farmers’ union at the state level.
The association will be able to work hand-in-hand with the government in fighting food insecurity.
Abraham Mading, an NPA facilitator said through training, farmers now know about their trade as during the workshop, there were representatives from ministry of cooperative, social development, ministry of agriculture and NPA members.
He said that it was a good chance to famers group because when they discussed their challenges, the ministries concerned learnt together as a team on the best way they will be able to help the farmers either through registration process such that they get support.
He said that they did not know the number of farmer groups operating in Bor County but through the mapping and presentations, they learnt that only 53 farmer groups are operating in Bor.
The chairperson of Bor county farmers association, Rebecca Achol Mayola, said that she has been planning to have an office for members of Bor County such that their administrative affairs will run smoothly.
Achol told Gurtong that she will be able to extend their programs to the counties so as people who have no knowledge about the agricultural activities are aware about importance of agriculture to the communities.
She said after the establishment of their office, they will be able to write proposals to agricultural sectors and Non-governmental organizations for support.
Achol in her statement urges farmers to be more productive so that South Sudan traders may not import food from other countries.
Achol was selected to be the chairperson of Bor county farmers association during the election process which was done after the workshop in central star Hotel last week.
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