World Bank, FAO launch climate resilience project in South Sudan amid floods

JUBA, July 23 (Xinhua) — South Sudan, the World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said on Tuesday that they have stepped up efforts to build farmers’ climate resilience amid flooding and other disaster risks.
The three-year project seeks to benefit more than 140,000 households, including over 98,000 households affected by floods in host communities, 40,000 returnees, and 5,000 refugees, the FAO said in a joint statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
It said the project, with a grant of 30 million U.S. dollars, aims to support good agricultural practices, agroforestry, and natural resource management skills among farmers, fishers, and pastoralists.
South Sudan, one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, has suffered from climate change shocks with excessive flooding for four consecutive years that destroyed livelihoods and increased food insecurity. The next flooding is predicted to peak in September 2024 and could impact between 600,000 and 3.3 million people.
“In light of the already dire food security situation in the country, the effects of excessive flooding combined with an influx of returnees and refugees fleeing the war in Sudan will put people at greater risk of famine and destitution,” the FAO said.
According to FAO, the project will be implemented by the FAO and the South Sudanese Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in a hybrid implementation arrangement that gradually builds national capacity for project management. ■