Sudan: Juggling priorities during a difficult time

Along with the war, Sudan is also battling a climate change crisis. While Sudan is not alone in this fight, it is certainly a challenge that exacerbates an already dire situation. 

In Sudan, more than 70% of the population depends on rain-fed agriculture and cattle grazing. This is no easy feat when they face unreliable rainfall, steadily rising temperatures, droughts and floods, and finally, soil erosion which reduces the crop yields, year on year. 

With an unpredictable climate, this is a highly vulnerable sector. There are very small margins for farmers – if a crop fails or cattle die, there is no alternative source of income that year. 

Clearly, adapting to this changing environment is paramount for Sudanese farmers.

Before the conflict, the Sudanese Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources requested the support of the United Nation’s Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) to help them better understand the reasons for - and effects of - soil erosion. This technical assistance is funded through the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA) Programme, and implemented by our partner, the Nairobi-based Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) 

Despite all the challenges of the political situation, the RCMRD has remained resilient and has conducted capacity-building in Kenya. There were delays and a variety of obstacles, including the difficulty of communications due to weak internet, difficulty of movement, and difficulty of transporting samples and reaching laboratories for soil analysis, etc. 

Last week, the partner brought a group of participants from Sudan - including soil specialists - to train them in using the RUSTLE equation to determine soil erosion risk, annual soil loss rates, digital soil mapping techniques and Unmanned Ariel Vehicle data mapping on erosion.

We met Mr. Salah Abukashawa, the RCMRD Liaison for Sudan, and the other participants at the RCMRD training facilities in Nairobi. He told us about the immense dedication and determination of the participants.

“They come back to the training laboratory and repeat all modules previously covered, sometimes until 10 pm at night. They are on a mission!”, Salah exclaimed.

“We are not leaving Nairobi until we have mastered each module. When we go back to Sudan, we will not have access to our laptops, or even internet sometimes, so we need to know it all by heart,” one of the participants told Salah. 

For Sudan, the challenge remains juggling today’s needs for food and safety with adapting to climate change to secure their future. Every day, electricity and food are scarce but people’s passion for technologies to improve farming for the future burns bright.

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For more information on this technical assistance, please visit: Soil erosion valuation to support climate resilient agriculture and food security | Climate Technology Centre & Network | Fri, 02/11/2022 (ctc-n.org)