South Sudan

Gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan is one of the world’s poorest and most war-torn countries. Weakened by years of war and instability, South Sudan suffers from poor governance, and renewed internal conflict with high numbers of displaced people. In this turbulent and conflict-ridden context, traditional gender norms and relations have been both magnified and strained, with women and girls left especially vulnerable, particularly related to domestic obligations and responsibilities, violence and protection. A total of 80% of South Sudan’s population live in rural areas, with pastoralist livelihoods centered on livestock and agriculture. Thus, pastoralism remains the central institution around which South Sudanese society is organized. Similar to pastoralist regions across East Africa, pastoralist groups in South Sudan suffer a confluence of both environmental and social pressures, particularly climate change, decreasing poverty and rising populations.

CARE South Sudan implements food security and livelihood activities in both stable and conflict affected communities. CARE links emergency food security interventions with medium and longer-term livelihoods and market based interventions. In its emergency food security and livelihoods programming, CARE provides crop kits, vegetable kits, agricultural tools, fishing kits, poultry, goats, and cash vouchers to vulnerable communities. In areas that have seen relative peace, returning households are supported through a recovery program called food/cash assistance for assets creation, aimed at creating and revitalizing community assets and restoring the productive capacities of arable land.

In addition, CARE South Sudan is facilitating the formation of farmer associations and producer groups, and applying farmer field schools (FFS) to other conventional agriculture extension methods that enhance the adoption of innovative means to increase climate-smart agricultural productivity. Through this approach, CARE is providing technical training on production of high value crops, and carries out environmental conservation activities.

In South Sudan, women and youth are the major workforce in food security and livelihoods sector and are particularly exposed to many risks. CARE is leading a national technical working group on mainstreaming energy saving stoves in various humanitarian sectors. CARE has trained women and youth on the construction of energy saving stoves in homes. This has positive multi-sectoral effects on protection, environment, health and nutrition of conflict-affected communities in South Sudan.