LocationsIBSA, UNDP and Oxfam partner to launch ''Empowering Women and Youth to Drive Sustainable Agriculture (EWYSA) Project'' in Rejaf East County
August 21, 2025
Dr. Mohamed Abchir, UNDP Resident Representative (left), Adv Mahlodi Muofhe, Ambassador of South African Embassy(center) and Hon. Lily Kapuki, State Minister of Agriculture and Environment officially inaugurate the 1st garden site of the EWYSA project.
Rejaf East, 18 August 2025 – In a bold step toward transforming South Sudan’s agricultural landscape, India, Brazil and South African (IBSA) Fund in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare, UNDP and Oxfam launched the Empowering Women and Youth to Drive Sustainable Agriculture (EWYSA) Project. Targeting small-scale vegetable farmers, this groundbreaking initiative not only aims to combat food insecurity, increase livelihoods, and unemployment but also to position agriculture as a powerful engine of inclusive economic growth and climate resilience—placing women and youth at the heart of South Sudan’s development journey.
South Sudan remains one of the most food-insecure countries in the world. Yet, we also know that the land is fertile and holds immense potential for agricultural transformation. The sector remains poorly resourced, and the government has limited capacity to operationalize agricultural policies. Other constraints consist of the use of rudimentary tools, poor crop planning, inadequate supply of clean drought tolerant and quick maturing crop varieties, poor pest and disease management and harvest management practices, all of which threaten to keep the communities more vulnerable amidst the worsening effects of climate change combined with cultural patriarchal power imbalances which perpetuates poverty disproportionately on women and youths.
The Empowering Women and Youth to drive sustainable Agriculture (EWYSA) project places strong emphasis on supporting vulnerable groups such as female-headed households, widows, young mothers, survivors of gender-based violence, individuals with disabilities engaged in agriculture, and unemployed youth seeking farming as a livelihood. Through vegetable production and climate-smart agriculture techniques, the project aims to stabilize food security in target communities, create employment for women and youth, boost economic resilience, strengthen the ability to adapt to climate impacts.
EWYSA partners hand over bicycles that will be used by State Ministry of Agriculture extension workers to support the project and its beneficiaries.
“Eighty percent of farmers in Central Equatoria State are women, and this project is designed with them in mind. We will coordinate closely with our partners to ensure the success of this project. I want to see that at the end of this project, those who are trained can transfer their knowledge to improve agricultural production in our state.” Hon. Lily Kapuki Paul, State Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Forestry.
“Given the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, this project is an important demonstration of solidarity from our people, the people of the South with the people of South Sudan. This project is aimed at fighting hunger, ensuring food security and poverty alleviation. It is a demonstration of Ubuntu. It is a practical demonstration of the idea of African solutions to African problems. Through this project, we want to make our own small contribution towards the Africa We Want, in particular, the aspiration of ‘An Africa, whose development is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children’. Furthermore, through this project, we want to make our contribution to the Silencing of Guns in South Sudan and our Continent, Africa. We want the youth to choose seeds over bullets. Our youth must choose to pick up hoes’, spades and till the land to feed their communities over picking up guns. Thus, contributing to the agenda 2063 aspiration of a ‘Peaceful and Secure Africa’. Amb. Adv Mahlodi Muofhe, Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa in South Sudan.
“As we launch this important project, I urge all the partners and the Government to continue investing in inclusive, community-driven solutions that promote women and youth empowerment. Your leadership, collaboration, and commitment are critical to scaling the impact of this initiative and ensuring its long-term success.” Dr. Mohamed Abchir, UNDP South Sudan, Resident Representative.
“This is a pilot but let us dream bigger. Let us use this as a success for scaling up so that more communities, more families, and more regions across South Sudan can benefit from what we start here today.” Shabnam Baloch, Country Director, Oxfam in South Sudan.
Dr. Mohamed Abchir, UNDP Resident Representative and Adv Mahlodi Muofhe, Ambassador of South African Embassy do an official ground-breaking as government officials, beneficiaries and other partners look on.
With financing from India, Brazil and South African (IBSA) Fund, through the South-South Cooperation, the ambitious program plans to turn agriculture into an economic growth, resilience, and inclusivity driver. Benefiting over 1,200 individuals, at least 60% of whom are female, the project offers high-quality seeds, modern farming equipment, technical assistance, and access to markets, and empowers smallholder farmers, mainly from Luri and Rejaf, to boost food production, family income, and climate resilience.
The project has Budget of USD 1,018,264 million and will be implemented in a period of 2 years. The design of the project aligns with its national strategy on food security. The project will contribute to the national commitments outlined in the South Sudan Blue Economy Strategy of 2021, the Government's policy priorities, as stipulated in the Comprehensive Agriculture Master Plan (CAMP), the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
About UNDP:
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with a broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, UNDP helps nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet.
About Oxfam
Oxfam is a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. We offer lifesaving support in times of crisis and advocate for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. We demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive. The future is equal.
About IBSA Fund:
The IBSA Fund is a remarkable example of cooperation among three developing countries, which pioneered the implementation of South-South cooperation initiatives for the benefit of other Southern countries in partnership with the United Nations system. The purpose of the Fund is to identify replicable and scalable projects that can be disseminated to interested developing countries as examples of good practices in the fight against poverty and hunger. The fund, which was established in 2004 and became operational in 2006, supports projects on a demand-driven basis through partnerships with local governments, national institutions and implementing partners.
About United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC):
The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) is a knowledge hub providing advisory and consulting services to all stakeholders on South-South and triangular cooperation. It enables developing countries to effectively face their development challenges and harness opportunities to address them. UNOSSC engages with Member States globally and regionally, as well as within the UN system to facilitate practical expressions of Southern solidarity towards the achievement of internationally agreed development goals.