No security, no agriculture
By Kiden Stela Mandela
Recent findings from the World Bank statistical analysis shows that South Sudan in regards to humanitarian crisis stands at 8.9 million domiciles who are in desperate need of humanitarian aid with a total increase of over 600,000 in the past years. This is really a serious matter in the country that the government needs to look at as it embarks on plans to boost agricultural productivity and this state of jeopardy was all caused by the continued inter-communal violence, tribalism and some untreated diseases also made Citizens to live in disparate situation.
With the looming hunger in the country, it is going to be difficult to shift from Humanitarian aid to developmental activities such as developing the Agriculture Sector. It is also hard to lessen the Humanitarian assistance because since the independence on 9 July 2011, the country did not look at farming as the backbone of the country since donations were rampant. But the truth is that South Sudanese citizens should wake up and demand for agricultural tools like hoes from the Humanitarian Agencies and international organizations to boost Agriculture instead of depending on UN Agencies for free food to prove that the country is working towards economic growth.
South Sudan has enough land for all kinds of developmental activities such as industrialization and even large scale farming that can take place in the villages. So, there is no need to depend on others instead of working hard to reduce the looming hunger in the future. The UN agencies at the moment should support citizens to stand firm in producing their own food. Producing enough food anyway needs stable security for the farmers to accesses their gardens, better roads for the farmers to be able to sell their goods even to the international market because if there is enough production in the country, high prices in the market will be reduced since the demand for other commodities will become low.
Nowadays you find that politicians are confusing citizens in the country, saying South Sudan should practice agriculture while others are disagreeing saying it is early for the relief agencies to provide tools but to continue spoon-feeding the country. Politicians should support the issue of dependency. This means the politicians are responsible for the suffering of this country a hundred percent because they don’t care of the citizens in terms of services delivery. They are just watching with their eyes weather the citizens are dying or not because they are not affected, if not so where is the security that may allow the citizens to start agriculture? Or should people go to their farms to be killed simply because politicians want to stay alone?
We are talking about Agriculture while the issue of insecurity is still alarming in the country just like the ongoing killing in the Upper Nile state. This is something which is not good, up to date, there are still clashes going on across the country, more especially in the Upper Nile region, the government needs to put an end to inter-communal violence. It is just like a targeted killing, what is happening now in South Sudan is that sometimes innocent people are being killed just because people are struggling for power yet the farm land is not safe for agriculture.
I appeal to the government to provide security in all areas for agriculture to boom.
God Bless South Sudan.
Be right there!