South Sudan is poised for a major step forward in its agricultural transformation through a new strategic partnership between its government and leading African research institutions, focusing on climate-smart technologies to unlock the country’s immense farming potential.
The partnership brings together the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of South Sudan (MAFS).
The agreement builds on recent high-level engagements and an inception meeting held in Juba, where the government formally launched cooperation with IITA-TAAT to support seed-systems development, capacity building for researchers, and deployment of climate-resilient crop technologies in South Sudan.
Addressing the challenge
Agriculture remains the backbone of South Sudan’s economy and livelihood for most rural households, yet yields are low and the sector is highly vulnerable to climate variability, pests and limited access to improved seed and input systems.
Recognising this, the new partnership explicitly targets the introduction of high‐impact, proven technologies – including drought-tolerant and disease-resistant varieties of staple crops such as maize, sorghum and groundnuts – while strengthening the national research and extension system to deliver these innovations at scale.
What the partnership will deliver
Under the agreement, IITA and TAAT will work with MAFS’s Directorate of Agricultural Research to train seed-system scientists, establish breeder and foundation seed production of selected varieties, and support adaptation trials for farmer-preferred crops.
This means that South Sudan will have access to improved seed material adapted to its agro-ecological conditions, and a stronger national capacity to multiply and distribute that seed for wider use. The inception meeting in June 2024 marked the formal launch of this process.
Additionally, the TAAT programme already featured in South Sudan’s agenda: it held a high-level consultative workshop in February 2024 focusing on food systems transformation and identifying the country’s specific technology needs and alignment with existing donor-funded agricultural programmes.
Why this matters
Introducing climate-smart technologies is timely for South Sudan. The country lies in a region where agricultural production is increasingly challenged by droughts, pests and soil degradation.
By leveraging a toolkit of proven solutions – such as drought-tolerant varieties, better soil-water management, improved seed systems and mechanisation – the partnership can help shift the agriculture sector from subsistence to more resilient, productive and market-oriented farming.
For example, TAAT has catalogued a range of technologies for drylands and semi-arid zones across Africa.
For South Sudan’s farmers, this means better access to inputs that suit their environment and stronger linkages into value chains. At the national level, it means progress towards food and nutrition security, rural employment, and economic diversification.
The government’s mandate through MAFS emphasizes exactly these goals: boosting productivity, alleviating poverty and improving social well-being.
Next steps and outlook
The partnership’s early focus will be on seed systems development, adaptation trials and capacity building over the next year, with room for extension as needed.
As seed multiplication and distribution scale up, the aim is to expand into wider value chain support—linking improved production to processing, storage, market access and private-sector engagement. This phased approach aligns with TAAT’s model of technology delivery and scaling across agro-ecologies.
However, translating potential into results will require strong coordination among government, research institutions, donors and the private sector, as well as investments in rural infrastructure, extension services and farmer training.
Early high-level engagement in Juba sends a positive signal, but the real test will come in how quickly improved seed and technologies reach smallholder fields and translate into yield gains and income improvements.
