Background

Following separation from South Sudan in July 2011, Sudan is now 1.8 million km2 – the third-largest country in Africa, with a population of more than 33 million people. Eighty percent of the population derive their livelihood from agriculture. But Sudan’s abundant agricultural potential is largely untapped. Decades of conflict, displacement and poverty mean that only around 20 percent of Sudan’s arable land is cultivated and the country remains a net importer of food.

Conflict and poor or erratic rainfall caused widespread low crop production at the end of 2011 – at about 50 percent of 2010’s harvest – and led to an early start to the 2012 lean season as household food stocks were depleted. Rising cereal prices further pushed basic food stuffs beyond the reach of the poorest households, with the price of sorghum more than doubled in local markets in Abyei, Kadugli, Damazin and Kassala by January 2012.

Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states since mid-2011 has led to massive internal displacement and the movement of 90 000 people across the borders into Ethiopia and South Sudan in search of refuge. The conflict coincided with critical stages of the main planting season, forcing farmers from their fields either at the early stages of planting or as the crops began to mature.

In parts of east and central Sudan and northern Darfur, severe damage to sorghum and millet crops was reported owing to atypical and early seasonal livestock migrations southwards linked to poor rains and pasture development. This situation is significantly aggravated by the disruption of seasonal livestock migrations to South Sudan owing to the defacto closure of the border for livestock following the secession of South Sudan. This year, millions of cattle from Sudan are not able to reach their traditional dry season pasture and water points, now located in independent South Sudan. This causes high concentrations of livestock in areas unable to cope with the demands on an already fragile natural resource base, contributing to localized conflicts with farmers and among pastoralists that are competing for scarce pasture and water. The increasing vulnerability of animals due to severe fodder and water shortages, as well as disease outbreaks can lead to high morbidity and mortality rates among cattle, which constitute a key livelihoods asset for most of Sudan’s rural families and particularly for the pastoralists.

Further complicating the crisis is Sudan’s loss of oil revenue post-separation, the cessation of cross-border trade with South Sudan, a fall in remittances from Sudanese migrants because of political turmoil in parts of the Middle East and North Africa, and strict international sanctions.

FAO’s ongoing emergency and rehabilitation programme in Sudan

FAO established an Emergency Rehabilitation and Coordination Unit in Darfur in 2002/03, and now has field offices in North Darfur, West Darfur, South Darfur, the Abyei Administrative Area, South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Kassala. In 2012, the Organization’s relief and recovery interventions are being implemented within the framework of four major programmes:

• The 2010-12 Plan of Action which outlines FAO’s emergency and rehabilitation programme and is designed to complement the Organization’s ongoing development activities. The Plan of Action relies heavily on a disaster risk management approach to the complex situation in Sudan, focusing on emergency relief as well as on efforts to protect and sustain livelihoods.
• The 2012 Consolidated Appeal Process (Humanitarian Work Plan) for Sudan through which FAO is seeking to restore agricultural production and access to food for almost 3.5 million people. This will involve supporting displaced and returning populations in Abyei, Blue Nile, South Kordofan and the Darfur states to enhance the productive capacities of small-scale farmers, pastoralists, conflict-affected people engaged in urban agriculture and vulnerable groups seeking to diversify their livelihoods. Vulnerable livestock owners will benefit from improved community-based animal health services, disease surveillance and control and laboratories better equipped to diagnose and combat diseases, as well as from animal feed and the rehabilitation of water points. In addition, greater support will be provided to enhance coordination and improve the effectiveness of interventions in the Food Security and Livelihoods sector.
• The Sudan Productive Capacity Recovery Programme (SPCRP) which aims to support and strengthen key agricultural support services, including rural advisory services, market access, non-state actors’ empowerment and rural business.
• The Sudan Institutional Capacity Programme: Food Security Information for Action (SIFSIA) which works with national institutions in Sudan to strengthen their capacity for generating, analyzing and disseminating food security information.

In addition, FAO will continue to increase its investment in restoring and preserving the natural resource base and seek to assist nomads, pastoralists and farmers affected by the blockage of migratory routes by increasing surveillance and fostering coordination and engagement between the local authorities and communities, as well as between the Ministries of Animal Resources in Sudan and South Sudan.