South Sudan Partnership: University of Juba

Through a strategic partnership with the University of Juba, EWS-KT is sharing its expertise with farmers, agriculture sector professionals, and university students in South Sudan. 

Planting the Seed in Northern Uganda

Our collaboration with the University of Juba, which is located in South Sudan’s capital city, began in 2021 in Uganda, as part of a project to develop local agricultural expertise in the Horn of Africa. With funding from Nuffic and technical support from Wageningen University & Research, we provided virtual training to agriculture sector professionals from Somaliland, South Sudan, and Sudan. Participants from South Sudan hailed from the University of Juba, Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology, Yei Agricultural Training Center, and the Department of Agricultural Research.

In January 2022, as pandemic restrictions eased, three participants from the University of Juba traveled to our learning farm in the West Nile region of Uganda for intensive hands-on training. After the training was complete, two EWS-KT field staff headed to South Sudan to help develop a learning farm on the University of Juba campus.

Learning Farm at the University of Juba

In May 2022, the learning farm held its first Field Day, welcoming more than 100 people. The 414-square-meter farm showcases effective techniques for growing a variety of crops, including eggplant, tomato, cucumber, sweet pepper, hot pepper, cabbage, sweet corn, watermelon, pumpkin, cowpea, sukuma wiki (collard greens), and Chinese cabbage.

Through participatory classes and training sessions at the farm, students and area farmers learn best practices for growing a wide range of vegetables.

During a Field Day the following year, Prof. Robert Mayom, now the university’s Vice Chancellor, reflected on the role of the learning farm in helping to address the country’s food insecurity and economic difficulties. “The results of this small field are a big challenge to all of us. If we have land and water, why can’t we produce these vegetables for our consumption and income?” he said.

In addition to building the skills and knowledge of students and farmers through practical training across each crop cycle, the learning farm serves as a training hub for academic staff, private-sector actors like agro-input dealers, and extension staff from various NGOs. Field Days held near the end of each crop cycle attract participants from local farming communities and other stakeholders.

The University of Juba learning farm also offers opportunities for scientific exploration, with a portion of the farm set aside for research. In 2023, EWS-KT supported 16 5th-year horticulture students to undertake action research addressing issues in vegetable production.

Farming Communities

While the university remains at the center of our activities in the Juba area, our initiative in South Sudan took a leap forward in July 2023 when we started to work directly with farming communities along the Nile River. By establishing vegetable demonstration plots with smallholder farmers in their fields and providing guidance and training from land preparation to harvest, we are accelerating the spread of improved horticultural practices—and the economic and nutritional gains they bring.