Minister of Livestock and Fisheries James Janka Duku speaking during the opening ceremony

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, has finalized a two-day workshop in Juba which resulted in the validation the first strategy for aquaculture development in South Sudan.

The National Aquaculture Development Strategy (NADSS) will guide the development of the aquaculture sector, with the aim of increasing high quality fish supplies in rural and urban centres, farmed fish products, access to quality and affordable production inputs, and establishing institutions that provide the required aquaculture services.

Increasing the availability of fish will help diversify traditional diets, which in turn helps combat the nation’s high malnutrition rates and food insecurity. In addition, aquaculture development has the potential to support the diversification of rural economies which bolsters resilience and creates income opportunities.

“As the first of its kind, this strategy is a key milestone in the aquaculture sector in South Sudan,” says Serge Tissot, the FAO Country Representative. “With this strategy, we have put down the foundation for the realization of strong alternative livelihoods that create resilient farmers and communities.”

FAO is supporting the Government of the Republic of South Sudan in developing aquaculture under the priorities identified in the Organization’s Country Programming Framework (CPF). This framework will guide FAO’s partnership with and support to the Government of South Sudan to bring together innovative agricultural best practices and global standards with national and regional expertise.

In the two-day workshop, over 30 participants, including experts from universities, government officials and fish farmers from across the country validated the new strategy. It pairs with the National Fisheries Policy which is currently being finalized with the support of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Both national government documents are expected to be endorsed by the Council of Ministers early next year.

During the opening ceremony, the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries James Janka Duku recognized the immense work done by FAO and the government officers to achieve the formulation of this strategy, which is based on the national policy framework. He said, “It is the hope of this government that this strategy will enable an environment in which the government, private sector and donor agencies will invest in the development of the aquaculture sector of South Sudan.”

FAO works to strengthen the resilience of households and improve food and nutrition by diversifying, and encouraging new livelihood resource bases. By supporting aquaculture development, integrated with crop production and small-stock farming, FAO is helping households to better respond to future food security threats and crises.