2021 Seed Grant Award Problem Statements 

Agriculture / Food Security

Problem #8: Sesame seed harvesting and subsequent oil production in South Sudan is limited due to inefficient manual oil extraction processes, as well as the lack of agricultural infrastructure, technical expertise, and a stable local market for seed and oil sales.

Country/Region of execution:  Greater Upper Nile Region, South Sudan
Collaborating Organization: Ayiidit Agricultural Cooperative Society (AACS) Limited
The Ayiidit Agricultural Cooperative Society (AACS) Limited is a cooperative society currently made up of 30 farmers dedicated to growing and harvesting sesame seeds to support local livelihood, increase food security, and rebuild the local economy of this region of South Sudan following decades of civil war and unrest. AACS was created in March 2018 and registered under the Director General’s Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Republic of South Sudan. Based in the Greater Upper Nile Region of South Sudan, the main commercial food crops grown are maize, white and red sorghum, and sesame. The arable land being cultivated was given by the Ajuba community of Baliet County, particularly Nyongrial Payam. There are over 100 hectares of land being farmed, with room for expansion. The majority of the land is currently used for sesame farming. The organization is headed by a board of directors.
Problem Statement Description:  As one of the youngest countries in the world following the split from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan has had its fair share of challenges with civil war and political unrest. These power struggles, the most recent having ended in February 2020 following a peace deal, have led to a dire case of food and water insecurity with over 4 million people displaced as refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs). As a result, there has been a reliance on external aid to provide sustenance for local people, with few of these solutions focusing on community empowerment. Despite this situation, the AACS has sought to leverage the extremely fertile land to grow sesame seeds, produce sesame oil to sustain local livelihood, and revitalize the economic status of the Greater Upper Nile Region with plans to extend the model to other parts of South Sudan.
Due to the lack of infrastructure such as harvest equipment, oil processors, adequate crop storage facilities, and modern farming practices, the organization’s potential has been limited. With no stable local market available to handle the amount of sesame AACS is producing, seeds that are not consumed presently go to waste. Pest control has also been a challenge for the organization.  The efforts of the AACS are in line with several UN SDGs, primarily Goal 2: Zero Hunger. Through the promotion of sustainable agriculture backed by self-sustaining micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), South Sudan can achieve food security. The AACS itself is an initiative that was created to tackle the food insecurity challenge in the region. Previous steps taken to solve the oil processor challenge include the Fröolja Project undertaken in 2018 by a senior design team at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI. The team created blueprints for a tractor-powered oil expeller and a business plan for a replicable, self- sustaining farm co-op. With limited time and resources, however, the project has not been implemented.  The AACS believes that a collaboration with Purdue University will yield a long-term solution that will provide local farmers an effective way to extract sesame oil for consumption; technical expertise for best farming practices; and innovative ways to reduce food losses while establishing a framework for local use with the potential for export in the future. This partnership could also be an opportunity to collaborate with the Upper Nile University to train local experts for the economic development of our country.