Biologicals

South Sudan Farmers to Benefit From Country-specific Extension Content

31 July 2024, Sudan: CABI organized a five-day digital and in-country content creation workshop in Juba, South Sudan. The writeshop was an opportunity to introduce the PlantwisePlus digital learning and decision-making tools and build capacity for national stakeholders in developing country-specific extension materials for farmers.

This initiative is part of CABI PlantwisePlus’s scale-out efforts in South Sudan, where most people depend on farming for their livelihood. It follows the successful training of 30 plant doctors in plant health diagnosis and making suitable recommendations.

South Sudan content writeshop

The stakeholders included scientists, researchers, and officials from the national and state ministries of agriculture. Also in attendance were stakeholders from universities and private service institutions. The workshop introduced CABI’s digital tools, including the Crop Sprayer app and the CABI Academy online learning platform.

Additionally, trainees were guided through a step-by-step process for developing Pest Management Decision Guides (PMDGs). PMDGs are management factsheets with practical information on crop pest/disease and control; they usually focus on one crop. A session on creating factsheets for farmers (FFFs) followed. FFFs are management factsheets with more in-depth practical information on crop pests/diseases and control. Both content types can be found on the PlantwisePlus Knowledge Bank. The resources created during the writeshop were tailored to agreed-upon crop-pest combinations following an initial prioritization process.

The digital landscape in South Sudan

South Sudan faces several barriers to the adoption of digital advisory tools. Challenges highlighted by stakeholders, included low smartphone penetration, low digital literacy, slow internet speeds and prohibitive cost of data bundles. Mr. John Daniel Wane, Director of the Department of Plant Protection at the State Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, and Forestry in South Sudan, remarked, “Operating devices is a bit challenging for me due to a lack of exposure. In our office, we have secretaries who do all the typing. In some offices, we don’t even have computers. We’d love it if CABI returned to teach us more about digital extension tools.”.

Charity Martin Leju, a 27-year-old inspector at the Centre Equatorial State, Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Forests, acknowledged that although the internet is slow, it is reliable and allows access to any site on your phone. “CABI has a lot of information from our neighbouring countries that our farmers can greatly benefit from. The digital tools are not data-heavy or difficult to use, but we need more training on digital literacy and, most importantly, on how to access agricultural content. Our farmers can benefit much from CABI’s knowledge.,” Charity stated.

Together with stakeholders, CABI identified the key organisations from the government, public and private sectors that will be instrumental in promoting digital learning and advisory tools in South Sudan. The strategy focuses on training, capacity building, policy discussions as well as partnerships with complementary industry players.

Country-specific content for farmers

Writeshop attendee Nancy Marselino Laku, a 41-year-old senior researcher at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Environment, also participated in a CABI plant doctor’s training in 2023. “I have gained a lot from both trainings. This training is more digital, and I appreciate the initiative to have South Sudan content on digital platforms as we lack enough information.”

As an extension worker, she emphasised the importance of the content, saying, “It builds our capacity, so we provide good training to farmers.”

Nancy added, “Having country-specific factsheets for farmers will be a game changer in South Sudan. I’d have the tools in English because most extension officers study in English. But I’d recommend adding our local language, Arabi Juba, for the farmers to benefit from these tools.”

What next for PlantwisePlus in South Sudan?

After a week of learning, sharing and creating content, the participants agreed that there is a need for more research, collaborations, and partnerships that can help improve farming in South Sudan. “I want to thank CABI staff for their time and knowledge sharing. We now need to go back, sit and listen to our farmers for us to help them. We will continue working with CABI and hopefully, we will sign an agreement. You have trained us, and we are all ready to train others. We will share what we’ve learnt and the tools to use,” Alexander Natana, Director General of Crop Protection, said in his closing remarks.

Harrison Henry, Senior Inspector and Trainer, echoed these sentiments by encouraging all the participants to utilize the knowledge gained and share the digital tools with those around them. “If we are not disseminating what we learn, then the days we spent here will be wasted. I encourage all my colleagues to contribute to this program through education. From those trainings we attend here, I have benefited a lot. I’m taking what we learn here directly to the farm.”

Professor Peter Gama, University of Juba, insisted on the importance of digital tools. He pledged to encourage the adoption of the CABI Academy into their curriculum, stating, “Let’s make the best use of this opportunity and work together to put our country on the digital map.”

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