BOR – As droughts cause food shortages across South Sudan, South Korean peacekeepers have made it their mission to translate international expertise into local solutions.
Since the beginning of their deployment with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in Bor, the battalion has become known for its practical vocational trainings in crop cultivation and poultry production for the local population.
To ensure that these skills remain viable as climate shocks impact agricultural practices that had previously been deemed sustainable, the peacekeepers have received strategic support from their home country.
A recent visit by experts associated with South Korea's Rural Development Administration (RDA) as well as the South Korea Partnership for Innovation of Agriculture (KOPIA) Kenya Centre assessed current practices at the mission-owned demonstration farm and supported training of both students and local farmers.
Considering the various elements that make a harvest success or failure, these trainings cover everything from how to cultivate rice and maize, apply fertilizer correctly, manage water distribution for the harvest, to preventing poultry diseases.
Located at the Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology, the farm has become a training haven for current and future farmers as well as an experimental ground for the peacekeepers to manage production challenges and explore ways of increasing food production using methods suited to South Sudan's climate and conditions.
For Ajok Alier Aguto, who regularly works at the farm, the training filled gaps not previously tackled due to lack of equipment and experience.
“This training was particularly useful as we usually don’t have vaccination tools available. The last days, we learnt all about how to administer vaccinations and where to inject them since the latter differs between a rooster and a hen.”
His words were echoed by the students enrolled in the agriculture programme at the Vocational Training Centre who are always eager for the opportunity to put classroom lessons into real-life practice.
“Since we started our training, we didn’t just acquire agricultural skills but also the knowledge and confidence to turn our products into actual economic gain. After every harvest, we first allocate food for our family and whatever is left is what we then take to the market for sale. This way, even the communities around us benefit from our skills,” shared trainee, Mayak Ayuen Kur.
As part of a long-standing cooperation, the RDA and KOPIA delegation utilized the visit to share best practices from farming experiences in their home country as well as Kenya and other parts of Africa.
In times where elevated temperatures, irregular rainfall, diseases, and limited access to agricultural technology is creating further strain on South Sudanese farmers, they are determined to find solutions for local conditions.
“Drawing on the local experience our national counterparts at UNMISS gained over the years, we are now working together to see how our international insights may support them with identifying the type of agricultural technologies that are best suited for South Sudan,” explained Kim Ji-gang, Director of KOPIA Kenya Centre.
Adding a tangible benefit to the verbal exchanges, the delegation also donated more than 100 hatching eggs from egg-laying chicken breeds in Kenya that will join their South Sudanese counterparts once they leave their eggshells.
“Today was another notable example of what we can achieve if we combine our efforts and include local communities into all strategic discussions. Not only do these activities provide hands-on experience, they also contribute to foster greater self-reliance of the beneficiaries,” explained Master Sergeant Park Seung-man, who serves with the Civil-Military Operations section of the UNMISS South Korean peacekeepers in Bor.
Because, in the end, international support to local challenges always depends on the willingness of key stakeholders to, not just impose, but tailor solutions to local realities.
By Mach Samuel
