Triggering economic potential at payam level in South Sudan 2nd phase

The South Sudan Agriculture Producer's Union was founded in Juba in 2010 by concerned farmers. It is legally registered has a Non Profit Farmer's Union under the Legal affairs and Constitution Development and SS Chamber of Commerce. The founding members are from all the 10(ten) States of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS). The majority of the founding members are from the 3 (Three) States of Equatoria: Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria and Western Equatoria, also called the Green Belt Ecological Zone of South Sudan. The members are already engaged in food production, including vegetables, fruits, cereals, forestry and honey production. SSAPU enables Union members to speak with one voice in the matters that concern them. Lobby and advocacy for a more conducive environment for agricultural entrepreneurship. At grassroots level SSAPU is developing membership and delivering services to the members to address farmers' needs. Although SSAPU is still a young and emerging farmer organization, there is an external representation. In consultation with DGIS and the Netherlands Embassy in Juba it has been decided to start up Agriterra activities in South Sudan in support of SSAPU. At state, county and district (payam) level there is no presence of any umbrella organisations worth mentioning. At village (boma) level, a great variety of local groups exists, often with support from NGO's. Although the farmers' movement is progressing, there are a certain number of serious constraints that hamper their development. There is a low educational level of farmers and farming as a business is a totally new concept for them. As it can be expected internal governance practices within farmers' organisations are still very weak. Services to (informal members) are not well defined yet. There is a clear need for support on the different levels. The proposed Agriterra strategy consists of the following two main elements: a. Supporting the national farmers' organisation in its role (policy development, lobby and advocacy) and in the structuring and membership development of the farmers' movement towards local level. b. Supporting the grassroots' level in an upwards dynamic towards the top. The support will focus on the payam level, as the first level after the boma level, on which farmers need to be organised. For a start this will be implemented through SSAPU, as there are no local farmers organisations with which Agriterra can have direct collaboration for the moment. It is important to start with existing dynamic groups of semi-commercial farmers. Expertise will preferably be delivered base on specific demands of farmers and in the form of a trajectory. Agriterra can make largely use of their Agripool for regional (EAFF e.a.) and Dutch agricultural expertise. Agripool expertise should cover three main advisory fields: technical (marketing, specific commodities, mechanisation, policy and advocacy), institutional (organisation development, internal governance & leadership, internal capacity building) and financial management. Although it is Agriterra's conviction that qualitative competences should be build in a FO, it is proposed that Agriterra will have local presence, at least in the starting phase. This local presence will indeed focus on strengthening the competences within the SSAPU in a sustainable way.