It’s challenging for farmers to produce food for their families in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan. Add disability into the mix and growing food takes utmost resilience.

Farmers often have to walk long distances to acquire seeds to plant, an arduous chore for physically disabled farmers such as Mohammed, 50, resident of a village in south Darfur. Rampant poverty in the area further limits such farmers from buying high-quality seeds.

Luckily, Mohammed, a father of nine children, was one of this year’s beneficiaries of seed fairs conducted by World Vision in Darfur throughout June. The fairs give needy, smallholder farmers in remote areas access to high-quality seeds and stimulate local agricultural markets as traders get an opportunity to sell their wares.

The power of choice

During the fairs, Mohammed and other beneficiaries received vouchers worth 60 Sudanese Pounds ($33) each to buy premium seeds of such crops as groundnuts, millet and sorghum. This allows farmers to make their own selections.

"The vouchers were a great help,” says Mohammed. “Without them, I wouldn’t have managed to buy seeds.”

The farmers had the freedom to pick seeds that suited their needs from a wide variety showcased by local traders. In addition to staples, they could choose from sesame, okra, tomato and watermelon.

Triggering expansion

Mohammed is one of his village’s most active farmers. The seeds he received at the fairs have given him the resolve to expand his farm.

"I was planning to cultivate sorghum on one acre and groundnuts on another acre.  But after the seed fair, I decided to make 2.5 acres for sorghum and 3.5 acres for groundnuts," he explains.

A bigger farm means more yields and returns for him – and a better life for his family. Last year, Mohammed managed to harvest 24 sacks of sorghum and 12 sacks of groundnuts. "I hope to double my harvests this year," he adds with an air of optimism.

Mohammed is just one of 10,000 needy smallholder farmers who have benefited from seeds and tools distributed by World Vision across villages and displacement camps in South Darfur this year.

World Vision provides agricultural inputs in the region to boost the livelihoods of war-affected communities, implementing programs in conjunction with local government authorities and with support from UN agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization.