LocationsAdvance Community-Led Development
Strengthening Rural Enterprises: UNDP, IFAD, CBSS and Government of South Sudan
September 30, 2026
Sheila Ngatia, Deputy Resident Representative, and Dr. Caroline Mwongera holding pineapples grown by Food Basket Cooperative Group from Yambio, Western Equatoria
Maureen Omwanda/ UNDP 2025
The shift from subsistence to commercial agriculture is central to the Rural Enterprises for Agricultural Development (READ) Project, established to help rural households move beyond subsistence farming toward more productive, market-oriented, and resilient agricultural enterprises. Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, UNDP, and Cooperative Bank of South Sudan (CBSS), with support from IFAD and GAFSP, the seven-year program seeks to improve food security, increase household incomes, and strengthen resilience to economic and environmental shocks by empowering Rural Producers’ Organizations, producer groups, cooperatives, Village Savings and Loans Associations, and Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations as sustainable value chain players. The project focuses on strengthening production and productivity, improving access to markets and financial services, building rural enterprise capacity, and enhancing target groups’ resilience to economic and environmental shocks across Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile, Western Equatoria, and Northern Bahr el Ghazal. The READ project is implemented across six counties: Aweil Center, Magwi, Yambio, Nzara, Maridi, and Renk, covering 27,511 rural households and 162,315 farmers, producers, and entrepreneurs across the targeted states.
South Sudan is endowed with immense natural resources, including fertile land, abundant water resources, extensive hardwood forests, large amounts of fresh water and minerals, and a wide variety of livestock, as well as native flora and fauna. These have made South Sudan suitable for a wide range of agricultural and natural resource-based production activities.
According to the World Bank, South Sudan covers a total geographic area of 62 million hectares in the Nile River Basin. Within this footprint, approximately 75% of the land is suitable for agriculture, with 50% highly suitable for crop cultivation. This translates to roughly 30 million hectares of prime arable land across six agro-ecological zones, giving South Sudan about five times the agricultural land per capita of Kenya, Uganda, or Ethiopia. Yet South Sudan remains reliant on emergency food assistance and food imports, spending more than USD 800 million annually on food imports. Moving beyond subsistence towards mechanization, value addition, and public-private-producer partnership is therefore critical to increasing agricultural productivity, strengthening food security, and creating jobs for rural and agricultural transformation. This is at the heart of the READ project.
Kitchen gardens supported by the READ Project. Farmers are provided with training and setup
Government Commitment as a Cornerstone of Sustainability
The supervision mission assessed implementation progress, engaged directly with communities and stakeholders, and strengthened collaboration around the project’s goal of transforming rural enterprises and improving livelihoods. In both Western Equatoria and Northern Bahr el Ghazal, the mission paid courtesy visits to state leadership, relevant state ministries, the King of the Azande Kingdom, and other key stakeholders, reaffirming the importance of strong partnerships, government leadership, and local ownership in driving sustainable development.
Both missions to Western Equatoria and Northern Bahr el Ghazal met top leadership to discuss the mission and the project
To foster ownership, the mission convened the State Technical Committee (STC) and County Core Team (CCT) to receive real-time feedback on implementation progress, achievements, and challenges. The committees are highly inclusive, comprising representatives from key state institutions, including the Ministry of Cooperative Development, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports, Ministry of Gender, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of General Education and Instruction, the Chamber of Commerce, the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, UNDP, and the implementing partners. The STC provides strategic oversight and supports the endorsement and approval of key cooperative and rural development matters, while the CCT, led by the County Executive Director, coordinates implementation at the county level. Meeting quarterly and monthly, respectively, the two structures strengthen coordination, address emerging challenges, and ensure implementation remains responsive to rural communities.
READ Supervision Mission team with members of the State Technical Committee during the field mission in Aweil and Yambio
"These are the projects we need in Western Equatoria because they empower our rural producers; they empower youth and women through different components that support our people, build capacity, and provide financial literacy. I want to reiterate our commitment to continuing this partnership, and we will work together so beneficiaries can enjoy the intended objectives of this project." Hon. Yona Robert, State Minister of Cooperatives and Rural Development, WES
Delivering Impact Where It Matters Most
On the ground, the mission team met with beneficiary Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), and Rural Producer Organizations (RPOs), hearing directly from groups working to expand their businesses, create jobs, improve incomes, and strengthen local economies. The field visits also brought some of the challenges farmers face into sharp focus. Water unavailability remains a major constraint, particularly for vegetable and kitchen gardens, alongside pests and increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.
Farmers and cooperatives mentioned the need for stronger market connections, better storage and value addition, and practical solutions to transport and logistics challenges. At the same time, the mission saw encouraging examples of stronger cooperatives investing in productive assets, including mechanization and transport, demonstrating the different stages of growth among READ-supported organizations.
The project builds competitive rural enterprises through three linked pillars: capacity building, market access, and matching grants. So far, 466 RPOs have been profiled and tiered, with 1,408 members and 131 leaders trained on governance and institutional skills, while an ILO-led cooperative training system organized by UNDP has reached 805 participants across all six counties. Market access is being unlocked through an ongoing Value Chain & Market Opportunities Analysis, paired with a Peace & Conflict Analysis to ensure conflict-sensitive implementation. Matching grants and i-Hub infrastructure, now in the rehabilitation and setup phase, with priority hubs operational for youth & women each month, with business development and entrepreneurship support, e-commerce services, career advice and counseling, e-learning, job placement support, and skills upgrading.
The mission teams met VSLAs and Rural Producer Groups in Aweil and Yambio to discuss the project impact so far on their activities
“These demonstration plots have brought new technology to help us in case we do not have a big plot at our household. We were also taught how to make pesticides and also received financial literacy training that will help our group greatly. There are 17 women and 20 men. Of these, 29 are youth. In that number, there are also people living with disabilities. There are also IDPs, people who have migrated from Rirongo, who are affected. It is inclusive.” Andrew Kumbagami, Secretary, Food Basket Cooperative Group
Financial Inclusion and Strategic Partnerships to Support Rural Producer Groups
Through the partnership with Cooperative Bank of South Sudan, READ will expand inclusive financial services for rural households and enterprises by strengthening both community-based finance and formal financial institutions. On the community side, READ has profiled 154 RFIs, including 143 existing VSLAs and 11 SACCOs, plus 90 new VSLAs formed, serving 7,338 members (51% female, 58% youth); financial literacy training has reached all six counties, with 2,013 beneficiaries trained. CBSS is expanding its agency banking network. 22 potential agents have been identified across all project areas, with 5 already active. The mission assessed branch expansion in Yambio and Aweil. This will unlock productive finance for target enterprises.
The mission met with newly registered cooperative bank agents in Aweil and Yambio
Partnerships are at the heart of the READ project, bringing together key stakeholders to ensure that all three components work effectively and implementation remains coordinated and on track. This promotes effective coordination, strengthens ownership, and ensures activities respond to the needs of target communities.
“Agriculture has the potential to drive South Sudan's economic transformation by creating jobs, increasing private-sector engagement, opening opportunities for agriculture as a business, enabling export, and transforming rural economies across South Sudan, and this is why UNDP is very happy with this partnership, with the generous support of IFAD and working with government at the national and state level and with the CBSS and civil society, READ is making this a reality.” Sheila Ngatia, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative
“We believe investing in agriculture is the right place, and we are working very, very closely with the government, at the national, state, and county levels, to identify those opportunities. So we are here to identify what opportunities we can finance in the agricultural sector, and that's why we are working with very competent partners that have worked in this country.” Dr. Caroline Mwongera, IFAD Country Director
The READ project has strengthened household nutrition through home gardening support across six target counties. A total of 101 sites were identified, reaching 2,442 farmers, 60% of whom are women, with vegetable production kits, agronomic training, and post-harvest management guidance to support sustainable production and improved household nutrition.
Robert Wuda from the National Ministry of Agriculture having a discussion with a farmer
Maureen Omwanda/ UNDP 2025
“The Ministry remains committed to aligning the project with our national agriculture and food-security priorities. I therefore call upon MAFS, IFAD, UNDP, the Cooperative Bank, and the county authorities to maintain clear roles, close coordination, and regular communication. Our collective responsibility is to equip beneficiaries with the technical, organizational, and financial-management skills they need to sustain their productive activities beyond the life of the project.” Hon. Evans Kenyi Solomon, Technical Advisor, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security
To conclude the mission, the team held a wrap-up session and a series of bilateral meetings in Juba to reflect on the mission’s findings, discuss implementation challenges, and agree on key recommendations and priorities for the way forward. Key implementation priorities for the next quarter center on two areas. First, accelerating evidence-based programming by finalizing the Value Chain & Market Opportunities Assessment to confirm value chains that are suitable and profitable for target groups. Expanding access to finance by launching the first Matching Grants cycle, approving loan products and launching them together with the Credit Guarantee Facility and securing board approval for the proposed CBSS branch expansion.
Through its continued partnership with the Government of South Sudan, IFAD, CBSS and other development partners, UNDP remains committed to bridging the gap between humanitarian assistance and sustainable development by strengthening rural producer organizations, expanding access to financial services, and empowering rural communities to build resilient livelihoods, strengthen local economies, and achieve lasting economic independence.
Dr. Caroline Mwongera speaking at the mission wrap-up meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security headquarters in Juba, South Sudan
Maureen Omwanda/ UNDP 2025
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