Climate-smart farming restores hope and income in Malakal

In Makal boma, Malakal County, 43-year-old farmer Adwok Jud starts his day at first light. Before the sun rises high over the Nile, he is already in his field, checking for weeds, tilling the soil with his hoe, and watering neat rows of onions, tomatoes, kudra, and sweet potatoes. By mid-morning, he returns home to his family, while a guard watches over the farm at night to protect the crops from theft and damage.

For Adwok, farming is more than a livelihood – it is a pathway back to stability.

Before the 2013 crisis in South Sudan, Adwok was a successful trader in Malakal city. He owned three boats, kept cattle, and sold timber. When violence erupted, he fled north to Sudan, losing the business he had built over many years.

Upon returning to South Sudan, he reopened a small shop and, with training support from humanitarian partners, began farming. However, last year, devastating floods submerged his fields, destroying his harvest. He was forced to borrow money and sell his assets to survive.

“I lost almost everything again,” he recalls.

Through the Building Resilient Livelihoods to Climate Change (BRLC) project, funded by the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, FAO is supporting 1 000 vulnerable households in Malakal to produce cereals, legumes, and vegetables.

The project helps communities use flood and runoff waters as a climate adaptation strategy, enabling year-round food production for both household consumption and local markets. Farmer groups are supported to grow vegetables through irrigation, while production is linked to fresh food voucher assistance for households affected by malnutrition.

With training delivered by FAO and its implementing partner Golden Village, Adwok learned good agricultural practices, including row planting, timely planting, proper irrigation in the mornings and evenings, and crop rotation. For example, he now grows tomatoes followed by onions on the same plot to maintain soil health.

“These practices have changed everything,” he says.

This season, Adwok’s onions and tomatoes are thriving. He expects to harvest around 13 sacks of onions, each weighing roughly 120 kg.

He estimates that his net income from the harvest will exceed SSP 7 million (USD 1 532) – an 80 percent increase compared to last year.

With the improved income, Adwok expects to be able to feed his family more adequately, buying sorghum, meat, eggs, milk and sugar. He also hopes to pay school fees and purchase clothes for his children. Married with 16 children – six sons and ten daughters – this added stability could make a profound difference.

“I am very happy,” he says with a smile. “Now I can take care of my family.”

A former trader at heart, Adwok hopes that within three to five years, he will be able to rebuild his pre-crisis business. Farming, he says, is now the foundation that will allow him to save and invest again.

He remains deeply grateful for the support received.

“I will not forget FAO’s support,” he says. “I will always remember how great it was.”

For farmers like Adwoc, restoring the ability to produce food and earn an income is not only about recovery – it is about rebuilding dignity, stability and hope for the future. Through initiatives such as the BRLC project, communities in Malakal are gradually turning vulnerability into opportunity, strengthening their resilience to climate shocks while creating new pathways for food security and livelihoods. At the same time, the work of Adwoc and other farmers is helping to ensure a steady and affordable supply of fresh foods for families across Malakal.