{"id":76678,"date":"2025-05-07T15:50:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T15:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops"},"modified":"2025-05-07T16:29:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T16:29:13","slug":"farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops","title":{"rendered":"Farmers in Obbo shift to drought resistant crops"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. <\/strong><\/span>After two years of relentless heat waves driven by climate change, farmers in Obbo Payam, Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, are increasingly turning to cassava and sorghum cultivation.<\/p>\n

Scorching heat and erratic rainfall in 2024 and 2025 have devastated crops across Eastern Equatoria, with Magwi County among the hardest hit.<\/p>\n

Farmers report that meagre rainfall in recent years barely sustains maize, whereas cassava and sorghum prove more resilient.<\/p>\n

Obbo Payam typically experiences two seasons, but the past two years have brought significant shifts. The first rains arrived in late April, two months later than the usual planting season, sparking anxiety among farmers.<\/p>\n

Local farmer James Olal believes cassava and sorghum can bolster food security and economic stability. \u201cThis year, we\u2019re finding a balance. We\u2019re not abandoning maize\u2014it provides quick cash for other needs\u2014but we\u2019re prioritising cassava and sorghum to combat hunger,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

However, cassava traders fear potential losses due to lower market demand compared to maize. Rose Keji, a Juba-based wholesaler dealing in cassava, potatoes, yams, and raw maize, expressed concern about the shift.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople prefer maize. If farmers move away from it to cassava, prices could spike, and cassava might spoil in the market,\u201d she said, noting her current struggle to sell existing stock.<\/p>\n

Keji acknowledges cassava\u2019s potential as a high-value crop to enhance economic prospects if farmers and traders receive adequate support. She urges cooperatives to promote value-added products to prevent losses from unsold raw goods.<\/p>\n

Manix Augustine Oloya Okalanga, Director for Agriculture and Forestry, continues to advocate for drought-resistant crops as the region grapples with climate-driven drought.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the delayed rainy season, hunger looms. I urge farming communities to diversify and plant resilient crops to sustain themselves,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

In Lobone and Pajok, farmers are now tending to crops planted during the dry season. Last year, most grew maize, with families cultivating three to four feddans. However, an abrupt halt in rainfall in October disrupted the second season, severely impacting yields. rain.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About South-Sudan<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Sudan. After two years of relentless heat waves driven by climate change, farmers in Obbo Payam, Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, are increasingly turning to cassava and sorghum cultivation. Scorching heat and erratic rainfall in 2024 and 2025 have devastated crops across Eastern Equatoria, with Magwi County among the hardest hit. Farmers report […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":76677,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[233],"class_list":["post-76678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-economy","tag-south-sudan"],"yoast_head":"\nFarmers in Obbo shift to drought resistant crops - South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After two years of relentless heat waves driven by climate change, farmers in Obbo Payam, Magwi County, Eastern Equatori ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Farmers in Obbo shift to drought resistant crops\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After two years of relentless heat waves driven by climate change, farmers in Obbo Payam, Magwi County, Eastern Equatori ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"South Sudan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-07T15:50:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-07T16:29:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2025\/05\/sm_1746622709.940109.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Farmers in Obbo shift to drought resistant crops\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-07T15:50:17+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-07T16:29:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops\"},\"wordCount\":350,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/sites\/32\/2025\/05\/sm_1746622709.940109.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"South-Sudan\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-sudan\/all-news\/farmers-in-obbo-shift-to-drought-resistant-crops\",\"name\":\"Farmers in Obbo shift to drought resistant crops - 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