Sudan – Agricultural Markets and Enterprise Development (AMED)
Developing a Base for Future Private Sector-Led Growth in Southern Sudan
After more than 21 years of civil war, relative peace returned in 2005 to Southern Sudan with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). The treaty brought a fragile peace, but development efforts in Southern Sudan have been hampered by significant delays in making operational some of the vital commissions called for by the peace accord. As a result, Southern Sudan continues to struggle against the devastation caused by the civil war and remains one of the poorest areas in the world, with an estimated 90 percent of the population earning less than $1 per day. The war destroyed infrastructure, institutions and physical capital, crippling economic growth and livelihoods at all levels.
Within this context, ACDI/VOCA implemented the Agricultural Market and Enterprise Development (AMED) program to improve the environment for increasing private sector employment opportunities in Juba, Yei and Wau. The project accomplished this through small business development, skills and asset building, improved governance, and increased business productivity.
AMED was a three-year USAID-funded project implemented in collaboration with four other U.S. private voluntary organizations under the Volunteers in Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA). Despite the enormous challenges and difficult operating environment, the fragile peace under the CPA presented an unprecedented opportunity to turn the years of war, displacement and underdevelopment into a new era of peace and prosperity. AMED worked in partnership with local government authorities and civil society, responding to requests for assistance to build programs and markets and to provide services in response to needs of emerging private enterprises.
ACDI/VOCA built capacity for the development of agricultural markets, particularly the establishment and growth of marketing associations and cooperatives. By using international and regional volunteer consultants and in-house expertise, ACDI/VOCA provided technical assistance to various entities, including government, farmers and development organizations, on the market-oriented development of specific agricultural sectors as well as general agricultural markets. ACDI/VOCA completed a total of 35 volunteer assignments, providing over 400 person days of technical assistance on various topics ranging from ACDI/VOCA’s signature Farming as a Business (FaaB) training for government extension officers to market assessment training for farmer groups in Wau. A total of 175 extension workers, including 41 women, were trained in FaaB.
ACDI/VOCA also provided direct training and technical support to 8 farmer associations with a total membership of 1,045 farmers. Founded by ACDI/VOCA, the Natabo Farmers Association (NFA) has emerged as a leading institution and benefited its members by increasing their sales by an average of 250 percent: average NFA member returns rose from approximately $1,200 per season to approximately $3,000 for the 2007-2008 season. This was largely achieved through better farm management and timely marketing of produce.
Other groups that have benefited from in-house direct training and mentoring include the Amatru Multi-Purpose Association and the Kunyarta Women Farmers Association in Lujulo Payam of the Central Equatoria State. ACDI/VOCA helped them strengthen their memberships and improve their members’ production, marketing and recordkeeping techniques. The results were dramatic: within 6 months of working with ACDI/VOCA, their incomes increased by 50 percent.
