South Sudan: When farming investments pays off
30.01.2026
By strengthening coordination and inclusion, South Sudan is laying the foundations for sustainable agrifood investment
In South Sudan’s Cueibet County, Mary Agum Mading is demonstrating how agriculture can become a viable and profitable livelihood when opportunity, organization, and investment come together. Alongside a group of women – many of them widows – she leads Baaicor Cooperative that has transformed targeted support into reliable income. With training on climate smart agriculture practices such as crop diversification, use of ox-ploughs, locally adapted quality sorghum and ground nut seed varieties provided through FAO support funded by Norway enabling promotion of climate-resilient varieties, members have moved beyond subsistence. In 2025, Mary harvested 30 bags of groundnuts, which she sold at SSP 180,000 per bag, and 23 bags of sorghum, sold at SSP 190,000 per bag. She used the proceeds from these sales to purchase two bulls and an ox plough. On average the households have improved their harvests from 10 to 25 bags (50 kg each) of ground nuts and from 7 to 20 bags (50 kg each) per season of sorghum. They are now able to pay school fees, cater for medical expenses and improve their homes. What once required survival strategies has become a pathway to choice, stability, and confidence.
This transformation reflects the power of pairing investment with improved governance. Access to training and improved inputs mattered, but so did how decisions were made, resources managed, and benefits shared in the farming community. The cooperative operates with clear rules, collective planning, and shared accountability, enabling members to pool risk, coordinate production, and reinvest profits. In doing so, it demonstrates how effective self-governance multiplies the impact of financial and technical support.
Across South Sudan, cooperatives and producer groups are showing how governance at the community level strengthens the returns on agrifood investment. By organizing access to inputs, coordinating production, and negotiating new and improved market access, they reduce transaction costs and create scale – conditions that make both public support and private investment more effective and sustainable.
“Strong, well-governed cooperatives are the backbone of agricultural transformation in South Sudan. They create platforms that attract investment, expand access to finance, and link farmers, especially women, from subsistence production to profitable value chains,” says Professor Mathew Gordon Udo, former Undersecretary for Cooperatives and Rural Development and Technical Advisor for Cooperatives at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS). “Strengthening cooperatives is both an economic and governance priority for building food security and resilient rural communities.”
This lesson extends to the national level. As the world’s youngest country, South Sudan continues to consolidate its institutions and policy frameworks. In the agrifood sector, past limitations in coordination and public–private dialogue have constrained investment. Strengthening governance – through clearer roles, predictable rules, and inclusive platforms for engagement – is therefore central to unlocking agrifood potential and scaling local successes like Mary’s into nationwide impact.
Strengthening governance for investment
South Sudan is sharpening its focus on what it takes to attract agrifood investment. In an effort led by MAFS, the Government is shifting from ad-hoc support towards a more coordinated, investment-driven approach – one that prioritizes data for decision making through the Hand in Hand initiative providing clarity, and engagement with the private sector including the Seed Traders Association of South Sudan , South Sudan Manufacturers Association, South Sudan Chamber of Commerce at state and national levels , Cooperative Bank of South Sudan, Alpha Commercial Bank among other partners.
A governance and investment assessment carried out in 2025 identified key challenges including insecurity, weak rural infrastructure, and limited access to finance. This assessment also made clear examples where momentum can build: closer coordination between MAFS, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries; more dependable budget execution for food security priorities; and permanent platforms for public–private dialogue.
“South Sudan’s agrifood potential can only be unlocked through stronger governance. Clear roles, coordinated institutions, and structured public–private dialogue are essential to building investor confidence and scaling impact,” emphasizes Meshack Malo, FAO Representative in South Sudan.
Progress is already visible. Multistakeholder platforms (MSPs) for cereals and oilseeds, supported through a project financed by the African Development Bank, are giving government and market actors a structured space to identify bottlenecks and agree on investment priorities. The model is now being extended to livestock and fisheries, marking a shift from fragmented engagement to more deliberate, market-oriented coordination.
“Governance is key to transforming investment from a one-off intervention into a lasting system,” explains Ricardo Rapallo, Senior Governance and Policy Officer at FAO. “When design and coordination mechanisms are clear and inclusive, they reduce risk for investors while ensuring that public priorities – such as food security and sustainable development – remain at the centre. This is how policy, investment, and local action begin to reinforce each other, rather than operating in silos.”
A clear national investment vision
These governance efforts are anchored in South Sudan’s Food and Agriculture Delivery Compact, a five-year investment plan aimed at transforming agriculture and livestock into engines of inclusive growth and economic diversification. The Compact outlines approximately USD 1.15 billion in priority investments across strategic value chains, including sorghum, rice, livestock, fisheries, and sesame.
Under the Hand-in-Hand (HIH) Initiative, national priorities are being translated into concrete investment pathways. Through value-chain mapping, investment identification, and partnership building, the Initiative supports the development of bankable proposals aligned with the Compact’s objectives.
“Through the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, South Sudan’s national priorities are being translated into concrete, bankable investment pathways that link farmers, markets, and partners,” points out Abigail Wathome, Programme Specialist and HIH Focal Point for South Sudan.
The potential reach of these investments is significant. Planned interventions could directly benefit more than 500,000 farming and fishing households, with indirect benefits extending to over 2.5 million people through employment, services, and strengthened markets. Livestock development accounts for the largest share, reflecting its central role in rural livelihoods, while investments in staples and fisheries aim to improve food availability and incomes across regions.
Connecting local impact to national scale
For cooperatives like the one led by Mary Agum Mading, these national initiatives matter because they create pathways for local success to scale up their business through increased production, processing and packaging, expansion to neighboring counties to access new market opportunities and digitalization of market information on their products and services. Stronger governance frameworks, clearer policies, and structured public–private dialogue help ensure that cooperatives can access markets, attract buyers, and benefit from future investments.
As Mary notes, the cooperative’s progress has brought not only income, but confidence – proof that collective action can deliver tangible results. Linking such grassroots governance structures to national investment frameworks is essential to ensuring that agrifood transformation remains inclusive, resilient, and grounded in local realities.
In South Sudan, governance is not only about institutions. It is also about how people organize, collaborate, and invest in shared futures. From community cooperatives to national investment compacts, these connections are shaping the next chapter of the country’s agrifood transformation.
Learn more:
- Article: How cooperatives are transforming the lives of farmers in Lakes State
- Government prioritized Agrifood investments – HIH IF 2025
- Hand in Hand Initiative