“I have amazing goals for the future”

About the program

Fortifying Equality and Economic Diversification for Resilience (FEED II) * is a livelihoods and women’s empowerment initiative focused on improving food security across seven states in South Sudan. The program uses the Farmer Field Business School approach, teaching small-scale farmers how to increase and diversify their production, which bolsters their resilience to economic or environmental changes.

Meet Paul

Paul Peter Kango, 27, is a Farmer Field Business School member in Nangbimo Boma. He’s using the training to help improve his family’s future.

“The major challenges I and my family face,” says Paul, “are sicknesses like malaria and typhoid, pests and diseases that affect our crops, and inadequate markets for our farm produce.”

Empowering farmers

Through the project, farmers learn how to work together effectively so they can access markets, price their products competitively and increase their incomes. At the same time they grow as leaders and agents of change in their communities. Among the farming-related results of the FEED II program: Approximately 18,000 farmers have received training in food production, livestock handling, climate-smart techniques and post-harvest storage methods.

From subsistence to sustainability

Paul is enthusiastic about the program’s benefits. “I’m a great farmer and I love farming,” he says. “The crops that I cultivate include maize, groundnuts, cassava, rice and millet. Before the FEED II project I used to cultivate these crops on a small scale just for consumption and I could sell the surplus to buy only soap and pay medical bills for my family, not thinking of investing in developmental plans.”

He completed secondary education with his parents’ encouragement, and credits his disciplined and spiritual upbringing for giving him the drive to improve his family’s circumstances.

“I send both my girl and boy to school since they are all equal and can contribute positively to the development of my family and community if they are educated well.

What’s next

“I have amazing goals for the future,” he continues. “These include cultivating more feddans (acres) of maize next year, saving money to enroll for a bachelor’s degree course in university, and buying a women-friendly motorcycle (a type of motorbike called a “Scooty” that is popular with women) for my beloved wife.”

Through the FEED II program, farmers like Paul are not only improving their livelihoods but also paving the way for a more resilient and prosperous future for their communities in South Sudan.

Check out our Annual Results Report and learn about the progress we’ve made in health, education, clean water and more.

*FEED II is implemented by a consortium of three INGOs and funded by Global Affairs Canada. The consortium is led by World Vision Canada and includes CARE Canada and War Child Canada. It is implemented in South Sudan by World Vision South Sudan, CARE South Sudan and War Child Canada.