The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has said bad roads are failing the agriculture sector in the country.

Today is World Food Day. This year’s theme is “Sustainable Food”.

Speaking to Eye Radio, the head of the FAO in South Sudan, Dr. Sue Lautze said there is plenty of food but farmers don’t have the means to preserve their harvests.

“Increasing productivity and production by animal traction, technology and by seed materials is actually not impossible here. What is a bigger challenge actually is preserving that harvest,” she said.  “So much of the harvest is lost, not only in term of crops and horticulture but from fishing grounds where so much fish can be caught and it can’t get to the market in a way that is safe and fresh.

Dr Lautze said that South Sudan faces challenges with its infrastructure.

“Here (it) is really probably the number one barrier to transforming that producing only a little bit every year to producing plenty and feeding the country and other countries of the world,” she said.

Dr. Lautze said that  the FAO is bringing new technologies for sustainable agriculture development in South Sudan.

The technology will help farmers, fishery folks, pastoralist communities and forestry dependent populations save the environment while creating both income and food security.