In brief
South Sudan’s farmers in Northern Bahr el Ghazal have begun cultivating rice in flooded lowlands, converting a traditional threat into a new source of food. With support from the World Food Programme and Chinese partners, over 2,100 households now farm more than 1,000 hectares of rice, though challenges such as weeding, harvesting, and limited machinery remain.
In the lowlands of Aweil, the capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, a quiet agricultural transformation is unfolding, as farmers redirect the seasonal floodwater that once devastated sorghum to cultivate rice instead.
Rice grows optimally in waterlogged soils, and the innovation allows communities to turn a recurring environmental hazard into a reliable food source, according to local agricultural observers and international support agencies. The shift was triggered by a series of devastating floods that toppled the sorghum harvests each year, destabilizing household nutrition and income.
By forming cooperative groups, farmers have expanded their cultivated area and pooled costly inputs. This collective approach has enabled the adoption of rice‑specific planting strategies, such as synchronized flooding and seed‑ling seedling establishment, provided through training modules developed by the World Food Programme (WFP) and a Chinese partner organization.
According to Haileselassie Berhanu, head of the WFP Aweil Field Office, the program was designed to “consider the flood as a potential opportunity,” rather than a threat. The WFP began disseminating rice‑growing guidance several years ago, and the most recent data shows that more than 2,100 households are now practicing the new crop on approximately 1,000 hectares of land.
Local farmer Santino Akech, a 45‑year‑old villager, recalled the advantage of this shift:
When flooding came, it affected sorghum, but the rice succeeded.He explained that a single farmer used to be limited by land ownership and labor availability, but group farming has broadened such constraints. In 2025, the same community harvested 42 bags of rice, 90 kilograms each, from about 1.68 hectares.
Despite the quantifiable successes, the transition brings new technical challenges. Weeding is laborious in saturated soil, and harvesting requires machinery that is scarce in the region. Akech noted,
We still need machines to prepare the waterlogged land and training in improved cultivation methods.These limitations impede the scaling of the initiative.
Mutinta Chimuka, a WFP country representative for South Sudan, highlighted the broader food‑security impact of rice cropping during a recent field trip to Aweil.
The crop was flowering and expected to be ready for harvesting soon, and it demonstrates the resilience of the agricultural system in the midst of dry spells.She urged increased collaboration with state and national authorities to identify the most suitable locales for rice cultivation and to secure access to crop varieties that thrive under local climatic conditions.
Chinese partners accompanying the WFP have deployed mobile irrigation testing kits and small‑scale mechanized weeders to pilot new methods. The combination of local knowledge and external technology is a core component of the “floodwater‑to‑rice” model, which is still in its experimental phase but already showing promise for nearby counties.
Rice cultivation also has a lower water footprint compared to other staple crops, and the nutrient sequester in flooded fields may contribute to improved soil fertility over time. The initiative aligns with regional climate adaptation strategies, as the Southern Lakes Basin is projected to experience more frequent flooding amid climate change.
Beyond the immediate agricultural application, WFP officials argue that the program will yield long‑term benefits such as reduced reliance on food aid, empowerment of rural households, and enhanced dietary diversity. These outcomes resonate with the agency’s core mandate to promote sustainable resilience in food‑scarce regions.
Equally, local government officials view the rice program as a tool to maintain agricultural productivity during the rainy season, a period traditionally associated with higher risk for crop failure. They are exploring supplementary support such as micro‑grants for buyers of rice seedlings and the development of local grain storage facilities to buffer against market fluctuations.
As the season progresses, the cohort of rice growers anticipates an increased supply of staple grain that could also serve neighboring markets. The fledgling program, however, will need sustained investment in mechanization, agro‑chemical training, and reinforcement of seed‑ling propagation to fully realize the potential of floodwater as a resource.
Overall, the shift to rice in waterlogged fields represents a compelling example of adaptive agriculture, turning a recurrent natural disaster into a new economic and nutritional pathway for South Sudan’s rural inhabitants.
