JUBA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- For years, seasonal flooding has threatened the livelihoods of farmers in South Sudan's Northern Bahr el Ghazal, destroying sorghum crops and undermining household food supplies.
But in Aweil, the capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, some farmers are learning to capitalize on the waterlogged land by cultivating rice.
Santino Akech, a 45-year-old farmer, said rice cultivation had offered his community an alternative to traditional crops that struggle to survive in flooded lowlands.
"When flooding came, it affected sorghum, but the rice succeeded," Akech said during a recent interview in Aweil.
Haileselassie Berhanu, head of program at the World Food Program (WFP) Aweil Field Office, said, "We have tried to consider the flood as a potential opportunity, not as a threat," explaining that the WFP and local communities began exploring rice cultivation in waterlogged areas several years ago.
This year, more than 2,100 households were participating in rice cultivation, with approximately 1,000 hectares under cultivation across the wider initiative, according to Berhanu.
Farmers previously cultivated individually but had limited capacity to expand production, said Akech. Through group farming, they pooled resources, expanded their cultivated land and received training in rice-growing techniques from a local partner. In 2025, Akech said that farmers harvested 42 bags of rice weighing 90 kg each from about 1.68 hectares of land.
However, he also identified weeding and harvesting as major challenges, noting that rice cultivation was still a relatively new practice for many community members. Farmers need machinery to prepare waterlogged land, training in improved cultivation methods and access to rice varieties suited to local conditions as well.
In a recent field trip to Aweil, Mutinta Chimuka, WFP country representative for South Sudan, said helping communities produce their own food was an important part of the agency's work to improve food security, alongside the distribution of food assistance.
She described the crop observed as promising, saying the location had retained water despite a dry spell that had affected agricultural production elsewhere.
The crop was flowering and expected to be ready for harvesting soon, Chimuka said.
Chimuka urged closer cooperation with state and national authorities to identify the most suitable locations for rice cultivation and varieties that could perform well under local conditions.
Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan Ma Qiang, who also joined the field visit, said the rice initiative demonstrated the potential to leverage natural conditions, strengthen agricultural production and improve resilience to climate-related shocks.
Ma said that China's experience and agricultural technologies could provide opportunities for further cooperation with South Sudan, including through engagement with national and local governments and other partners.
China has previously donated agricultural machinery to local communities, he added.
Martha Abuk, a 40-year-old farmer who also cultivates rice in Aweil, said that farming and participation in group savings activities had helped her household meet some of its needs, including school fees for the children.
As the WFP and its partners explore ways to expand rice cultivation, the experiences of farmers in Aweil illustrate both the opportunities and the constraints involved in adapting agriculture to climate-related challenges.
Sustaining that progress, however, will depend on farmers' access to suitable equipment, technical knowledge and resources to increase production. ■
