{"id":44479,"date":"2026-05-07T15:02:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T13:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=44479"},"modified":"2026-05-07T15:02:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T13:02:31","slug":"government-eyes-agricultural-transformation-as-key-to-food-security-economic-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/07\/government-eyes-agricultural-transformation-as-key-to-food-security-economic-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Government eyes agricultural transformation as key to food security, economic recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lodu William Odiya<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Acting Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Lily Albino Akol, has reaffirmed the sector as the cornerstone of the country\u2019s economic recovery and long-term stability.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the opening of the Agriculture Forum on Tuesday in Juba, Lily emphasised that agriculture contributes nearly 40 percent to the country\u2019s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).<\/p>\n

She described the sector as not just an economic activity but also a critical pathway to poverty reduction, food security, and national resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgriculture lies at the heart of these ambitions. It remains the backbone of livelihoods for the majority of our population, contributing nearly 40% of our national GDP and employing close to 80% of our people,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Lily aligned the nation’s agricultural priorities with the Dakar Summit on Food Sovereignty and Resilience, focusing on key commodities such as sorghum, maize, rice, and fish.<\/p>\n

She underscored that these value chains are expected to reduce dependence on imports, improve nutrition, and create employment opportunities in rural communities.<\/p>\n

She added that recent data from the 2025 Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission indicates notable progress.<\/p>\n

National cereal production reached approximately 1.2 million metric tons, marking an 8 percent increase compared to 2024 and a 27 percent rise above the five-year average.<\/p>\n

Additionally, cultivated land expanded to about 1.2 million hectares, with yields averaging 1.2 tons per hectare.<\/p>\n

Despite these gains, Lily underlined that the country continues to face a severe food security crisis.<\/p>\n

An estimated 7.8 million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, including nearly 73,000 individuals in catastrophic conditions.<\/p>\n

She attributed the gap between increased production and ongoing hunger to a range of structural challenges: floods and prolonged dry spells continue to disrupt production; displacement and conflict limit access to land and markets; and pests, diseases, weak infrastructure, and high post-harvest losses hinder agricultural performance.<\/p>\n

The sector remains largely subsistence-based, with nearly 80 percent of farming relying on traditional methods, limited mechanisation, and minimal inputs.<\/p>\n

Lily noted that women, who make up a vital portion of the agricultural workforce, face disproportionate barriers in accessing resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen constitute a significant proportion of the agricultural labour force, estimated at nearly 80% in many communities. Yet they continue to face systemic barriers in accessing land, finance, inputs, and extension services. This underscores the urgent need for inclusive and targeted investments,\u201d Lily explained.<\/p>\n

To address these challenges, Lily revealed that plans are underway to strengthen policies, enhance coordination among institutions, and attract private sector participation.<\/p>\n

The ongoing conference is expected to outline practical and scalable solutions, with upcoming sessions focusing on partnerships, investment opportunities, and policy reforms.<\/p>\n

Stakeholders, including development partners and private investors, are being urged to align their efforts with national priorities.<\/p>\n

Officials also stressed the importance of empowering youth and women as central players in agricultural transformation, noting that their innovation and leadership will shape the future of the sector.<\/p>\n

The government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting farmers, describing them as the backbone of the nation\u2019s economy and essential drivers of sustainable development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lodu William Odiya The Acting Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Lily Albino Akol, has reaffirmed the sector as the cornerstone of the country\u2019s economic recovery and long-term stability. Speaking at the opening of the Agriculture Forum on Tuesday in Juba, Lily emphasised that agriculture contributes nearly 40 percent[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":44480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158,80,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","category-national","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Lily-Albino-Akol-Acting-Minister-of-Agriculture-and-Food-Security-speaking-during-the-Agriculture-Conference-in-Juba-\u2013-Photo-Louis-Loku.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44479"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44481,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44479\/revisions\/44481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}