Food Security in Sudan

Introduction

Sudan with a total area of 1.882 millions square kilometers

with an estimated population of 33.419 million people

The cultivable area is estimated at more than 80 million hectares, of which only 20% is cultivated

Crop production is practiced under three main farming systems

About 90 percent of the cultivated area is rain-fed

60% of food production comes from the large-scale sector

The agricultural sector also has livestock, fisheries and forestry as key sub-sectors

Sudan has the second largest livestock population in Africa after Ethiopia

Agriculture characterised by subsistence farming, shifting cultivation and livestock production

Cereals alone provide nearly 53% of the daily energy supply to the population

production of the staple food crops in 2010 declined considerably by nearly 42% from an average of 4.9 million metric tons in 2006-2009 to only 2.9 million metric tons(CEREAL AVAILABILITY STUDY, 2010)

Reasons provided for the decrease in production, including unfavourable weather and rainfall conditions, management problems related to irrigation water, decrease in fertilizer use, and unavailability of improved seed verities, etc.

Table 1: Sorghum Production Trend in Sudan (2006-2010) (Source: Sudan MoAF)

Year Production (MT) Yield (MT/Ha)

Irrigated rain-fed Tradition

al

Mechanized

Total Irrigated rain-fed Tradition

al

Mechanized

Total

2006 808000 1877000 1642000 4327000 1.9 0.5 0.7 0.7

2007 1201000 1868000 1164000 4233000 2.3 0.6 0.7 0.8

2008 822000 1064000 1191000 3077000 2.2 0.4 0.5 0.5

2009 1061000 1276000 928000 3265000 2.7 0.4 0.4 0.6

2010 690000 622000 670000 1982000 1.8 0.2 0.3 0.4

Average (2006-2009) 973000 1521250 1231250 3725500 2.3 0.5 0.6 0.6

Share % (2006-2009) 26.1 40.8 33.0 100.0

2010 Compared to Avg.

(%)

70.9 40.9 54.4 53.2 78.0 53.2 62.7 65.2

Crop Share of Total Prod.

(%)

62.7 96.5 68.6 75.6

Table 2: Cereal Production Trend in Sudan (2006-2010)Source: Sudan MoAF 

Year Production (MT) Yield (MT/Ha)Irrigated rain-fed

TraditionalMechanize

dTotal Irrigated rain-fed

TraditionalMechanize

dTotal

2006 1228000 1938000 2196000 5362000 2 0.5 0.5 0.6

2007 1873500 1939000 18130000 5625500 2.3 0.6 0.5 0.7

2008 1408000 1900000 17150000 4213000 2.1 0.4 0.4 0.6

2009 1700000 1341000 14590000 4500000 2.2 0.4 0.3 0.5

2010 1092000 663000 11010000 2856000 1.8 0.3 0.3 0.4

Average

(2006-

2009)

1552375 1577000 1795750 4925125 2.1 0.5 0.4 0.6

Share %

(2006-

2009)

31.5 32.0 36.5 100

2010

Compared

to Avg. (%)

70.3 42 61.3 58 82.7 54.6 65.3 67.3

Crop Share

of Total

Prod. (%)

100 100 100 100

Table 3: Cereal Production in 2010

State Net domestic production available for consumption MT Total

Sorghum Millet Wheat

Northern 12817 0 109050 121868

River Nile 32919 0 21503 54422

Khartoum 10362 0 11471 21834

Gezira 330807 9356 180955 512697

Sennar 117955 12803 7098 137856

White Nile 240082 17765 25709 283557

Blue Nile 95267 10249 0 105517

Gedarif 20301 6352 0 209353

Kassala 130537 8 0 130529

Red sea 2691 2825 0 5516

North Kordofan 49793 83674 0 133466

West Kordofan 0 0 0 0

South Kordofan 325531 26054 0 357585

North Darfur 2425 15372 0 17797

West Darfur 27544 44711 1733 73988

South Darfur 168432 175891 1733 346056

Total 1751992 433134 359252 2544378

Table 4: Cereal Consumption Requirement in 2010

State Consumption requirements MT Total

Sorghum Millet Wheat

Northern 49640 10200 37400 97240

River Nile 77672 15960 58520 152152

Khartoum 485377 99735 365695 950807

Gezira 317769 65295 239416 622479

Sennar 107529 22095 81015 210639

White Nile 134831 27705 101585 264121

Blue Nile 60371 12405 45485 118261

Gedarif 142934 29370 107690 279994

Kassala 134320 27600 101200 263120

Red sea 54885 11175 40975 106535

North Kordofan 124173 25515 93555 243243

West Kordofan 93805 19275 70675 183755

South Kordofan 91761 18855 69135 179751

North Darfur 141036 28980 106260 276276

West Darfur 142277 29233 107195 278707

South Darfur 273677 56235 206195 536107

Total 2431557 499635 1831995 4763187

Table 5: Cereal Demand and Supply in 2010

State Cereal demand/supply gap MT Total Gap/supply as% of

requirementSorghum Millet Wheat

Northern (36823) (10200) 71650 24628 25

River Nile (44753) (15960) (37017) (97730) (64)

Khartoum (475015) (99735) (354224) (928973) (98)

Gezira 13038 (64360) (58460) (109782) (18)

Sennar 10426 (9292) (73917) (72783) (35)

White Nile 105251 (9940) (75876) 19436 7

Blue Nile 34896 (2156) (45485) (12744) (11)

Gedarif 60067 (23018) (107690) (70641) (25)

Kassala (3783) (27608) (101200) (132591) (56)

Red sea (51694) (8350) (40975) (101019) (95)

North Kordofan (74380) 58159 (93555) (109777) (45)

West Kordofan (93805) (19275) (70675) (183755) (100)

South Kordofan 233770 7199 (69135) 171834 96

North Darfur (138611) (13608) (106260) (258479) (94)

West Darfur (114733) 18476 (105462) (204719) (73)

South Darfur (105245) 119656 (204462) (190051) (35)

Total (679865) (66501) (1472743) (2218809) (47)

Problems & dimensions of food insecurity:

different conflicts:(damaging of the social and economic fabric, destruction of the scarce infrastructure,

displacement, weakening of institutions…etc.) natural disasters (drought and floods)

(displacements and high livestock mortality)lack of infrastructure: (limiting marketing possibilities

with food that cannot be moved from surplus to food deficit areas)

limited access to basic servicesInsecurity in neighbouring countries

socio-psychological factors: (lack of innovativeness to find alternative sources of income, lack of personal savings, sheer laziness and resort to unproductive activities and a

host of other unbecoming behavioural factors) bad governanceout of date census and baseline dataduplications and lack of coordination

Major Challenges & priorities:

crucial information gaps (qualitative and

quantitative); poor access to information by food security

stakeholders; poor linkages between information on

short term/transient food insecurity and structural/long term food insecurity;

Disconnection between policy, programming and planning and food security information and analysis.

duplications of mandates and functions and poor coordination

weak linkages between Federal Ministries and the State Ministries;

weak institutions not in the position to deliver the expected services;

determination of governments to make real change in implementing policies and strategies;

ensuring proper planning in the use of resources in viable investments, institutions, infrastructure, storage facilities, and enhancing productivity;

mainstreaming food security concerns in the ongoing Poverty Reduction Strategy process

Possible Interventions:

the need to put in place social protection measures to protect the most vulnerable;

Understanding who they are, how many they are and where they are through appropriate information systems

Understanding causes of vulnerability and their livelihoods basis and coping strategies through an appropriate information and analytical tools

Design and implement social protection measures: food aid, traditional safety net systems (e.g. religious based- Zakat), food prices subsidies and control, support to households with HIV/AIDS affected members

Design and implement livelihoods rehabilitation and strengthening measures: inputs and productive assets distribution, quick impact community based reintegration programmes, etc.

Reduce the risks of shocks through the strengthening of early warning, disaster prevention and preparedness measures, and by minimising the risks of conflict over resources

Monitoring vulnerabilities

the support to smallholder (traditional) agriculture and rural livelihoods as mean to address rural poverty(Poverty reduction through the support to smallholder agricultural production and rural people livelihood);

Improved livelihoods analysis of food insecure through a more systematic use of livelihoods frameworks of analyses

Improved agricultural vital information basis: markets prices and access, production, rainfall, land use pattern

Appropriate food security, livelihoods and pro-poor policies and programmes design monitoring and evaluation

A substantial increase and related monitoring of pro poor rural investments

the sustainable and equitable management of natural resources.

Natural resources surveys and mapping: proper planning will require proper information land tenure and land use, pastures availability, livestock routes, water availability and rights, forest resources etc.

Appropriate policies designed: land, forestry, rangelands, water, etc.

Prevention and resolution mechanisms for conflicts over resources as for instance in the conflicts between pastoralists and farmers and between returnees and resident population

Environmental considerations mainstreamed in food security and livelihoods support interventions

Transformation of traditional crop and livestock sectors based on a comprehensive integrated package of rural development programmes;

Introducing extensive institutional and management reforms of public irrigated schemes to revitalise their productivity and enhance farmers’ incomes;

Land tenure reform and appropriate policies for sustained natural resource management in the semi-mechanised large-scale rainfed schemes.

Provision of improved seedsResearch and technology transferImproved soil and water conservation

practices

Control of crop and livestock pests and diseases

Facilitate access to credit through the establishment of rural credit institutions under the supervision of the formal banking system

Construction of feeder roads linking producing areas to market

Building a strategic grain reserve coupled with a viable drought and early warning system

Provision of primary health care and education services and improved and sustainable clean and hygienic water supplies for both domestic use and livestock.

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