A proposal for a Community Based

Agriculture Initiative/s.
Background/Introduction
Economic hardships,Coupled with the lack of agricultural knowledge, unfavorable
climate,Mass inflation food shortages and unstable market prices, In turn cause
malnutrition and food shortages , this is a challenge faced by many countries
communities and cities worldwide and the community of South Sudan entitled Satagiri is
no exception.The area's harsh weather, underutilization of environmental
resources ,inflammatory markers, inadequate knowledge in terms of agricultural
practices are leading this community to be malnourished and are increasing food
insecurity in the area, this community that resides in the heart of the African continent is
now profound by economic hardships with mass inflation wreaking havoc on the local
economy and is pushing many familiesfrom this community into the cycle of poverty or
is leading them to be malnutritioned and is affecting the overall population's health this.
This brief introduction sets the stage for a proposal comprising of initiatives we came up
with aimed at empowering the Saptagiri community through community based
agriculture by addressing the root causes of the economic instability and malnutrition,
As this situation and community needs a comprehensive approach that addresses the
root cause of these issues that the rural community is facing to a very severe
degree.We believe that the present predicament in Saptagiri can be partially attributed
to past decisions that might have unintentionally worsened the issue. The excessive
use of land and unsustainable traditional farming methods have significantly depleted
the soil's nutrients and weakened the ecosystem's ability to withstand challenges.
Moreover, the lack of focus on agricultural education and extension services has
prolonged the community's dependence on outdated farming practices. As a result, the
adoption of modern and sustainable techniques has been hindered, leading to lower
crop yields and jeopardizing food availability.With that being established , let us look at
the problem statement.

Problem Statement
The rural community, Saptagiri near South Sudan is going through severe economic
hardships which has caused mass inflation , causing many local families from the
impacted community to struggle to access and afford basic necessities and fresh foods,
as a result the people residing within the community are facing malnutrition, which is
posing a dangerous threat to the overall well being of the population. This is also due to
the fact that people there are lacking agricultural knowledge and there is inadequate
utilization of the local sub saharan environment and atmosphere. Majority of the
community is uneducated in terms of the topic of agriculture and effective agricultural
techniques. This is hindering the community’s ability to employ sustainable agriculture
practices.The unfavorable, erratic climate and weather are further worsening the ability
to cultivate their own crops and sustain themselves,in turn resulting in poor crop yields
and contributing to the inflationary cycle. The population is being forced to and is now
having to rely on food sources from over long distances and on high inflatory, unstable
market prices, further pushing many families into poverty from this community. The
increased food prices are increasing the cost of living for many local families. The
difficulties in Obtaining Basic Necessities and Fresh Food; with the inflation are leading
the local families to the threat of malnutrition and food shortages especially to
vulnerable groups like children and senior citizens.The inadequate agricultural
knowledge is hampering the community’s ability to employ farming methods
perpetuating reliance on distant sources.Underutilization of Local Environment
Resources;is resulting in Missed opportunities to optimize resources for farming which
contributes to food insecurity. Insufficient Education in Agricultural Techniques; and
Unfavorable Weather Conditions; is limiting their capacity to improve crop yields.
Dependence on Food Sources from Far, and Unstable and Inflated Market Prices; is
burdening familing, furthering worsening food insecurity , and is pushing many local
families into the cycle of poverty. This is a proposal to help this specific community
through community based agriculture initiatives.

Signs and Symptoms

Here are the signs and symptoms that lead us to believe that the problems mentioned in
the problem statement exist in the rural community of Saptagiri near South Sudan:

The signs and symptoms of malnutrition are: reduced appetite, drastic fall in the amount
of food consumed by the overall population on average, reduced labor force, increased
cases of chronic diseases, children and the elderly constantly falling ill or feeling
weaker, stunted growth among majority of the children, increased Edema and hair loss
complaints from the majority, increased skin diseases among the community,
Weakened immune systems and drastically increased susceptibility to infections,

The Signs and Symptoms of Difficulties in Obtaining Basic Necessities and Fresh Food
are Increased reliance on unhealthy food sources and high energy ones, increased
purchases of processed and packaged foods while simultaneously reduced purchased
or demand of fruits and whole grains, increased meal skipping among school children
and the parents, increased begging for food and increased number of families facing
difficulties paying for food. The Signs and Symptoms of Inadequate Agricultural
Knowledge are, increased number or same number of poor farming practices, inefficient
use of the land and water in the area, production of the same type of crops on average
which is lack of rotational crops, inadequate use of the fertilizers by the local farmers,
low crop yields, small harvests or no harvests by majority of local farmers as well as
poor quality produce by the majority, and the drastic dependence on food from outside
or far distant sources. The Signs and Symptoms of Insufficient Education in Agricultural
Techniques and Underutilization of Local Environment Resources are, the
abandonment of time-tested techniques, people on the majority are failing to adapt to
the local conditions, they are dependent and focus on imported goods, they prefer
packed ,unhealthy foods over nutritional ones as they lack knowledge about the
nutritional value of local produce, the soil here is eroded and is nutrient drained,
deforestation is everywhere here, increased water pollution, difficulty among the locals
here to understand agricultural information, and there are limited number of agricultural
training programs and centers here .Lastly the Signs and Symptoms of Unfavorable
Weather Conditions are, erratic rainfall patterns, droughts and unpredicted growing
seasons here, the heat waves storms and pests and diseases.

Proposal’s objective.
The objective of this proposal is to improve the state of this community. With this
activity, we hope many other communities will be improved by taking this as an example
or inspiration to adapt community based agriculture initiatives that integrate solutions as
well as community engagement. We are hoping that humanity is stepping closer to
reach the SDG - no poverty and many more.The overall objectives for the initiatives
listed below are to Improve the economic situation of the community by increasing
agricultural productivity and reducing reliance on food from distant sources for the
community, Addressing malnutrition by increasing access to fresh, nutritious food,
Empowering the community with agricultural knowledge and skills., and to help Utilize
the local environment and resources sustainably.

Practical implementation and Proposed

Initiatives
Here are Community based agriculture initiatives that we want to take to address the
problems that are being faced by the rural community.

According to fao.org, the reason for bad crops in south sudan, despite its favorable
fertile soil, the reason for crop failures and inflations is draughts and floods. But due to
poor education of people in the area, the people cannot grow their crops. But, there is a
way to battle this problem.
 ● For the floods, they can depend on the river floods like how Egyptians did. They
would have to grow their crops close to the river, so whenever the river floods, it
will deposit new fertile soils each year which the farmers grew their crops on.
● For the draughts, the people can use water efficient water irrigation methods, like
the water sprinkling system. This means the plants can grow without the need for
people to walk and transport water from the rivers nearby. They can use pipes to
do the work for them.
● They can also use cover crops, crops that cover soil to reduce soil erosion,
increase water retention, improve soil health, and increase biodiversity. This
means droughts will reduce and the community might also start looking ‘green’.

Here are some more of the primary initiatives that can be taken (are being proposed) to
address the problems that are being faced by the rural community.

● Setting up Agricultural education programs:

Description of the initiative : implement agricultural education programs targeting

community members with a focus on sustainable farming practices crop management
and environmental adaptation . This initiative aims to address the lack of agricultural
knowledge within the community empowering individuals to make informed decisions
about farming practices by trying to collaborate with local agricultural experts and
organizations to conduct workshops training sessions and distribute educational
materials .The Pros of this initiative would be increased agricultural knowledge and
skills among community members and improved crop yields and farming efficiency , on
the contrary the initiative’s cons would be the initial costs for organizing workshops and
materials the challenge of ensuring continuous participation and engagement.

● Establishing Community seed banks

Description of the initiative: To establish a community seed bank to preserve and

share local crop varieties that are well suited to the region's climate and soil
conditions as building a seed bank helps in promoting crop diversity, resilience to
climate change and reducing dependency on external seed sources for the
community’s agriculture purposes, this can be accomplished by having to
collaborate with agricultural experts and local farmers to collect and store seeds
or to create a system for community members to borrow seeds and replenish the
bank after harvest so the seeds are available for use aswell as replenished. The
upsides (pros)is that it helps in preserving local crop diversity, reducing
dependence on external seed markets, allows for production of
fresh,affordable,locally sourced food for the community decreasing the
malnutrition and food insecurity. Cons: It requires initial investment in seed
collection and storage infrastructure monitoring and managing the seed bank to
ensure sustainability.

● Establishing community gardens.

 The description of the proposed initiative is as follows: The is something
that can be implemented in an effective way which is to establish
community gardens on available land within the area encouraging
communal farming practices and shared responsibility as community
gardens promote local food production, reducing food insecurity ,
malnutrition among the families, reduce reliance on distant sources and
also foster a sense of community engagement , it can be done by
allocating plots to families, provide necessary tools and organize regular
communal activities such as maintenance days and harvest festivals.The
pros would be increased local food production, as well as enhanced
community cohesion and shared responsibility within the community, in
turn boosted yield and food source, on the flip side the cons are that the
initial setup costs for tools and infrastructure challenges in coordinating
communal activities and festivals.

● Introducing and promoting Weather resilient and drought resilient crops and
seeds.

The Description: The proposed initiative is to Introduce and promote crops that
are resilient to the local climate of the sub saharan region and to implement
drought resistant farming techniques as it will mitigate the impact of unfavorable
weather conditions on crop yields ensuring a more reliable food supply it can be
done by collaborating with agricultural experts to identify suitable crops and
techniques, providing training and support for their implementation. The upsides
will be , improved resilience to adverse weather conditions, increased crop yields
and food security , whereas the cons are , the need for ongoing support and
expensive or unaffordable training, the initial resistance or skepticism from the
local community farmers.

● Development of local farmer market within the community

The Development of local market system’s objective would be to facilitate the

exchange of agricultural products and promote local economic development . It
can be done by establishing a regular community market for farmers to sell their
produce directly to consumers, by provide training and support to farmers on
market preparation pricing and marketing strategies , by encourage the formation
of farmer cooperatives or associations to enhance market access and bargaining
power , it will link local farmers with potential buyers including schools hospitals
and local businesses and can help farmers get a fair prices for their produce.
Challenges that might be faced for the
implementation of the Initiatives.
The proposed practical implementations and initiatives may encounter various
challenges that must be addressed in order to be effectively applied. These include
resource limitations, which may lead to scarcity of financial and material support
necessary for implementation. The community may also require training and assistance
in areas such as project management, financial management, and marketing to ensure
the initiatives are sustainable. Active participation and support from the community at all
stages - planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation - is crucial for long-term
success. Additionally, initial resistance or skepticism from some community members
may need to be overcome through ongoing efforts to promote adoption of new practices
and approaches.There may be additional hurdles to overcome, such as addressing
market infrastructure and navigating stakeholder dynamics. Successfully establishing
and maintaining a vibrant local farmer's market may require navigating established
market structures and managing any potential resistance from established market
players. Additionally, securing continued support and funding for these initiatives
beyond the initial implementation phase may prove challenging. This could involve
securing ongoing financial support and technical assistance from external partners or
government agencies. Moreover, financial constraints could prove to be a significant
challenge. Limited resources for both the initial startup costs and ongoing support may
present obstacles to the success of these initiatives. Furthermore, cultural barriers may
also create challenges. Resistance to change or a preference for traditional farming
practices could impede progress and require careful navigation.
Expected Outcomes over next 90 days
By implementing these initiatives, we anticipate a range of positive outcomes for our, the
Saptagiri community over the course of 90 days. Not only will farmers benefit from improved
access to local markets, but consumers will also enjoy direct connections with them. This
will result in increased income for both farmers and local businesses. As a result, the
community's reliance on external food sources is predicted to decrease, lessening the
effects of market fluctuations and establishing a more reliable local food supply. Moreover,
we anticipate a greater consciousness and knowledge of sustainable farming practices. By
promoting ecological balance and long-term agricultural sustainability, we envision a
brighter future for the Saptagir community. The establishment of a community seed bank
and the implementation of seed-sharing practices are pivotal steps towards cultivating
resilience and diversity in the local agriculture.As the community garden activities take off,
the first harvest is expected to mark significant progress towards the goal of self-sufficiency.
The initial phase will focus on implementing weather-resistant crops and techniques, aiming
to adapt and combat the effects of climate change on agriculture while also reducing
malnutrition within the community. Additionally, the project envisions the efficient use of
environmental resources, promoting responsible and sustainable practices. This deliberate
effort to minimize reliance on external food sources will support the overall objective of
boosting the local economy by retaining resources and wealth within the community.
Together, these initiatives strive to create a more resilient, self-sufficient, and economically
prosperous community within the next 90 days.

Conclusion.
In conclusion, These proposed community based agricultural initiatives aim to address
the root causes of economic challenges, food insecurity and inflation in the Saptagiri
community by empowering individuals with knowledge, promoting local crop diversity,
encouraging communal farming and adapting to the local climate. The initiatives seek to
break the cycle of poverty, malnutrition and contribute to the overall well being of the
community.

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