JUBA – South Sudanese officials and international partners gathered in Juba on Wednesday for a high-stakes national agriculture conference, as the world’s youngest nation struggles to curb its reliance on expensive food imports.
Vice President for the Economic Cluster James Wani Igga opened the three-day event, calling for urgent policy reforms to modernize the farm sector.
According to data shared at the conference by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), South Sudan currently imports nearly 60% of its food needs, spending an estimated $800 million annually—a figure the FAO described as “unsustainable.”
Acting Agriculture Minister Lily Albino Akol highlighted a critical gender gap, noting that while women make up 80% of the agricultural labor force, they face systemic barriers to land ownership and financing.
“If we are serious about transforming agriculture, we must invest deliberately in women farmers,” she said.
