Supporting Conflict-Resilient Food Systems in Sudan
Publisher: Conflict Sensitivity Facility
Date: 2024
Topics: Conflict Causes, Land, Livelihoods, Renewable Resources
Countries: Sudan
New report reveals critical insights for supporting conflict-sensitive food systems in Sudan’s famine response After 18 months of conflict in Sudan, famine has been confirmed in North Darfur while many areas in the country are in famine like conditions. Meanwhile, more than half of the country’s population - 25.6 million people - are facing crisis levels of hunger.
USAID TEPS and the Conflict Sensitivity Facility (CSF) highlight essential strategies for enhancing food security in Sudan through conflict-sensitive approaches. The report prioritises local food production systems and addresses the underlying causes of conflict and food insecurity.
It advocates a comprehensive approach that supports traditional farming, pastoralism, agro-pastoralism, and fishing while managing risks associated with large-scale mechanised farming linked to elite land-grabbing. The report stresses the need to balance the rapid scale-up of food production with caution to prevent exploitation by conflict actors, ensuring sustainable outcomes.
Addressing land issues is identified as crucial, with immediate food security actions tied to strategies for land rights, land reform, and natural resource management. The report also challenges economic inequality to prevent reinforcing elite control over Sudan's agriculture.
Key findings:
• Prioritising Local Systems: Strengthening local food production systems and producers is crucial for promoting sustainability and equitable development.
• Empowering Through Food Production: Investments in local food production build resilience and empower vulnerable populations within their food systems.
• Adopting a Comprehensive Approach: Supporting all four main food production systems in Sudan is necessary, with careful management to avoid exacerbating conflicts, particularly in large-scale mechanised farming.
• Balancing Action with Caution: Rapidly scaling up food production must be carefully assessed to avoid exploitation by conflict actors, ensuring sustainable and conflict-sensitive outcomes.
• Addressing Land as a Conflict Driver: Food security efforts should be integrated with strategies for land rights, land reform, and natural resource management to tackle the long-standing conflict driver of land issues.
• Challenging Inequality: Efforts to improve food security must challenge entrenched economic inequality and avoid reinforcing elite control over Sudan's agriculture.