Women with their malnourished children on May 31, 2017, wait outside a nutrition centre run by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Panthau, Northern Bahr al Ghazal, South Sudan.

South Sudanese experts say advancing sustainable peace is fundamental to alleviating the chronic food insecurity in the country.

Citing the 2023  the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)  in their analysis on the food security situation in the country, published on Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform, Dr Leben Nelson Moro and Tong Deng Anei said, nearly the entire country was classed as being in crisis.

Dr Nelson is Director of International and Alumni Affairs at the University of Juba, and teaches graduate courses in the areas of development, conflict, forced migration and humanitarian affairs at the University’s Center for Peace and Development Studies.

His co-author Anei, currently a consultant with national, International organizations and government, previously worked for United States Agency for International Development, United Nations and government with 20+ years experience helping implement humanitarian assistance programs.

According to them, while several areas were under emergency classification, no area could be considered as facing ‘minimal’ food insecurity.

According to the experts, a significant proportion of the population of South Sudan has faced acute food insecurity over the last five years.

They attribute this to intersecting factors including the protracted conflict, climate change, economic crisis, poor infrastructure and what they term as far away global conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine and the Middle East.

Dr Nelson and his co-author emphasize the need for the government to fully implement the 2018 Revitalized Agreement and support local peace-building beyond only dialogues, including by engaging youth and providing economic opportunities in their communities.

They called for efforts to improve security, to the climate change, to construct sustainable and inclusive infrastructure and to achieve and maintain peace domestically and globally.

The experts also see the urgency in careful natural resource management they say are key to preventing conflicts.

They stress the need for  South Sudan and its partners need to invest in the country’s agriculture potential through nutrition-sensitive and climate-smart approaches.

Other considerations include;

“Investing in agriculture, especially subsistence activities that most South Sudanese rely on, can help alleviate chronic food insecurity over the medium- to long-term. In addition to strengthening immediate humanitarian responses, more resources should be committed to bolstering this crucial sector.

“Scaling up investment in agriculture could involve reviewing and potentially resuming paused agricultural schemes as well as establishing new nutrition-sensitive initiatives. Design all efforts to support equitable, sustainable and nutrition-sensitive outcomes that benefit all people, especially the most vulnerable.

“Harnessing South Sudan’s abundant water resources could help boost agriculture and provide access to clean water, if done sustainably and equitably. Water infrastructure projects can be contentious and should be designed carefully in partnership with communities and with social and ecological considerations in mind.

“Strengthening subsistence fishing as well as sustainable aquaculture could improve household food security and nutrition. Interventions such as providing fish preservation equipment and training could help.

“Designing market-based interventions carefully could help get surplus crops and livestock to markets, potentially raising government revenues and reducing poverty. However, this must be approached cautiously to avoid disrupting the subsistence agricultural systems that are crucial for food securhyity, especially among vulnerable populations.

“Building climate-resilient infrastructure, such as flood-resistant roads, in rural areas could support food security. This infrastructure would enable people to move more easily to more food secure areas in times of flood or drought. The roads and other infrastructure would also provide channels for households to move surplus produce to markets and help raise household incomes.

“Introducing climate-smart agricultural practices and crops could help mitigate the increasing flood and drought risks that threaten food production and security. Existing cropping and husbandry practices could be enhanced for example, by integrating flood-resistant rice and drought-resistant yams or cassava, and exploring other adaptive measures.

“Enhancing regional trade and infrastructure connections could help small-scale economic activities that support livelihoods and boost incomes. Key commodities include gum Arabic, cattle, hides and fish that some households already trade on a small-scale basis.

“Investing further in nutrition-sensitive healthcare, especially for pregnant women and young children, is critical. Priorities include enhancing community management of acute malnutrition programmes and nutrition monitoring systems.