2022-2023

–Draft Concept Note–

 

Vision

The vision of the Youth Agricultural Farm (YAF) is to create a model for grassroots, socio-economic development in The Republic of South Sudan, through the introduction of agri-business as a venture by the civil population as part of an overall strategy to fight hunger and poverty in our land. This will be achieved through a three-pronged approach of;

1. The establishment of Youth Agricultural Farm (YAF) as a nonprofit business owned by the NCSS and Youth and Women’s Farers Unions and Associations.
2. The YAF shall also be established as centers for capacity building for our coalition of indigenous civil society groups (farmers associations, unions, cooperative societies and other community based organizations –as spelled out in our Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), , and

• Establishment of South Sudan Association of Farmers (SSAF), who will be the junior partners in the YAF.

 The YAF shall help our civil population to become better organized, legally register and sign MoUs with the NCSS. This mission springs from our belief that South Sudanese communities, in their cattle camps and villages, had their historical and socio-economic development halted by the negative experiences of colonialism and slavery. This has erased the memory of our indigenous knowledge systems. However, with the end of armed conflict and the current peace process, we believe it is possible to contribute once more to the socio-historical development of our peoples –the welfare and prosperity of our people!

Introduction

 

In most African countries, since the political independence of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, ending with Zimbabwe in 1980, Namibia in 1990, and the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994, the model for development has been characterized by our colonial past – what some scholars have termed coloniality. In most African countries, the colonialist departed but the colonial system remains intact. As such, our civil population across the continent continue to live in abject poverty. In the Republic of South Sudan, for instance, the lack of domestic production means that everything is imported, including tomatoes.

 

The consequences of this model of development have been far-reaching, seen in, but not limited to, socio-economic and political crises, intercommunal violence, growing foreign debts, deficit in balance of payments, brain drain, deepening inequalities, environmental degradation and migration from the countryside to the towns, among numerous other problems. This is a matter of great concern in an uncertain world, where economic mercenaries use countries with unstable economies to establish cartels to enrich themselves.

 

The National Conversation – South Sudan (NCSS) has established the YAF as a project to promote rural development through the introduction of agri-business as a method of wealth creation for Women and Youth Groups (who constitute the bulk of the population). This is our initial strategy for socio-economic growth in our nascent Republic. The Youth Agricultural Farm (YAF) has therefore been designed as a nonprofit business model for (grassroots) socio-economic development in a post conflict situation. This has been made possible by over twenty (20) years of experience and research in various communities in the Republic of South Sudan, dating back to the time of the old Sudan civil war which culminated in the independence of our country. The reality of the South Sudanese societies is such that the majority of the population lives in the country side. Thus, the practical solution is to rescue the economic decay of the countryside from its present state of collapse. The NCSS has its origins in the liberation struggle’s Civil Authorities for New Sudan (CANS) –the civil society of the people’s movement which won us our independence. As such, we are inspired by the historic SPLA/SPLM program of “Peace Through Development”.

 

 

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

 

The effect of past governments’ policies in the old Sudan and the civil war which erupted shortly after independence, has ensured the continuation of an unbearable status quo which dates back to the days of slavery, especially with rural communities. Services and amenities have never reached our civil population. The issues that have affected the full realization of self-determination in rural areas stem from the tragic loss of indigenous knowledge systems after centuries of resistance to foreign occupation. Rampant insecurity in the country has frightened away many skilled professionals who could implement any durable projects or programs.  These factors have led and continue to lead to the difficulties in all sectors of development in the Republic of South Sudan. Through the combination of knowledge of our past and contemporary realities and inspired by the historic SPLMA/SPLMs slogan of, taking the towns to the people, the NCSS is confident that we can achieve our principle objective of modernizing our societies.

 

Agro-based Industries,

 

This sector is still in the fledgling stage. Since independence, the model for development our country adopted has had limited focus on the agricultural sector and food security.  Waves of civil wars have displaced individuals and communities, damaged basic infrastructure and shattered the socio-economic base in general. Our civil population, those displaced and those in their cattle camps and villages, have become almost completely dependent on International Development Partners.

 

Some of the challenges the YAF hopes to address are:

 

• The lack of involvement of local communities in socio-economic development project planning,

 

• The import of majority of basic foods from neighboring countries,

 

• Lack of legally registered indigenous organizations and other civic organization challenges,

 

• Lack of food preservation and storage,

 

• Lack of seed multiplication and seed banks; and,

 

• Government contracts being beneficial to traders and farmers in neighboring countries, with minimum to no capacity building for local traders, farmers and farming associations.

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The YAF Initiative,

 

The effects of war in South Sudan – as mentioned – have had a negative impact on food security, which has led to the monopolization of the food markets by foreign economies. In order to arrest this situation, the NCSS has introduced this agricultural scheme (YAF) as the backbone of the NCSS. This project intends to restore and strengthen the agricultural sector for production of food crops in the Republic of South Sudan and promote agti-business as a venture through a  nonprofit business we have dubbed  the Youth Agricultural Farms (YAF). Furthermore, the scheme intends to expand the production base and to introduce many varieties of crops (e.g. Fava beans/Ful Misir have been proposed).  This will in turn allow the Youth to exercise their responsibility as citizens, to plan and develop sustainable agricultural schemes as a method of wealth creation.

 

The Youth Agricultural Farm is where the youth will engage in a national conversations for the restoration of our dignity, which will be supported by commercial farming activities.  The YAF will also be in part an agricultural training and research institute, as the youth will learn the benefits and importance of agriculture in civilization and in the South Sudanese Renaissance –The Tomato Renaissance!.  This farm project will be the financial wing of the NCSS.  We will produce and add value to our products at the YAF, while minimizing and eventually eliminating food supplies from outside.  Surpluses from the Youth Agricultural Farm beyond consumption locally, will be marketed in the East African Market and beyond.. This is part of our internal resources mobilization strategy, to generate income for reinvestment on the farm and for development of any MCSS  project which may evolve out of our national discourse.  In general, and as part of the vision, full self-determination is the ultimate goal (self-reliance as it were). In light of insecurity in the country, the YAF project may initially be launched within the displaced people’s camps around the country but shall not be limited to these areas. The YAF shall also be launched simultaneously in areas of the country with relative security by local Youth and Women.

 

These are some of the main programs of the Agricultural Scheme:

 

• Horticulture

 

• Vegetable Gardening

 

• Livestock Rearing

 

• Poultry Management

 

• Fish Farming (Aquaculture)

 

• Seed Multiplication

 

• Seed Exchange

 

With time and further development of the YAF, we envision the corporation will reach an industrial level of production, starting with small scale food processing to agro-based light industries, with plans and room for further industrial development.  The YAF Territories themselves will be an attraction to Africans and friends of Africa because it will be a model of how a post-conflict society can be transformed into a self-sustaining community that can contribute its experience and potential to Africa and the world.

The Republic of South Sudan is envisioned as the base of the YAF and is a model proposed by the Moderators of the NCSS for our self-determination as a generation.

How can this be done?

Internal Funds Mobilization,

 

For YAF projects to be truly independent and in the spirit of the principle of self-determination, it should be clear that the Youth themselves must be the starting point of the initial projects. We, the Moderators of the NCSS, shall therefore appeal to the youth of South Sudan to contribute whatever they can, in order to sufficiently mobilize resources to implement the NCSS first project –The Youth Agricultural Farm.

 

As a model farm, the establishment of the YAF can become a viable income-generating activity that will allow the full realization of our self-determination. The YAF shall market its products through several brands. This project is to be done in partnership with local investors and local farmers associations and unions. The initial project shall be to introduce value addition, with the introduction of tomato powder, paste and other projects we plan to unveil in the near future (including Ful Misir/Fava Beans).

 

With the continued support from the youth and women of South Sudan (at home and in Diaspora), the government, donors and friends of South Sudan contributing on an annual basis, the  YAF would become the catalyst for economic transformation and in the not very distant future, could begin to industrialize and grow on its own trajectory.  The YAF could become a viable model of development from within rather than the mal-development from without which we see in many African countries today.   If in future more land is required, the local authorities may be approached to allocate and add more land to the initial YAF Territories. Though we intend to start in the displaced people’s camps, the YAF program is not limited to this, it could be replicated in other areas of the country through land allocation by the relevant authorities.

 

External Funds,

 

The Moderators of the NCSS shall also appeal to the South Sudanese Diaspora and all concerned friends of South Sudan in the world to participate by joining our external fundraising initiative. The proceeds from this campaign shall go towards the establishment and evolution of the YAF proposed nonprofit business model. The information about this campaign shall be made available soon on our website.

 

The major contributor to the projects of the NCSS has been its Moderators, who have a great deal of experience in volunteerism and community development. Their undying support has been invaluable to the sustainability of the NCSS. There are also local business entities that in the fulfillment of their social corporate responsibility, have donated funds and facilitated in other ways to the NCSS projects. The Moderators shall continue to source for donations from more business entities who also share in the vision of self-determination.

 

Volunteerism and Internship,

 

The effects of war, as previously mentioned, have also had a negative impact on the development of skills amongst the majority of our adult population. The major challenge that has faced the establishment of the NCSS projects has been lack of administrative and management skills. Therefore, as part of our initiative to promote professionalism, agribusiness and scientific training, The NCSS shall incorporate a volunteerism and internship program (specially) with college and university students. Through this program we shall recruit interns and volunteers to be placed within the programs of the YAF. These interns and volunteers shall be tasked with building the capacity of the Youths in the countryside through modern skills.

The following are the major points of the program:

 

• Volunteerism and Internship shall allow students in colleges and universities to get firsthand experience in practical project management and development tactics,

 

• Voluntary and Interning students shall make use of their past and current educational knowledge, and apply it in the YAF projects,

 

• Volunteers and Interns shall be selected through programs designed by The NCSS and partners, based on a networking policy with local and regional colleges, universities, progressive organizations and businesses,

 

The institutions which the NCSS makes alliances with will determine which students get the privilege of volunteering in the YAF program.  The term and duration of the volunteering or internship will depend on the program that the YAF will undertake. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) will be made between NCSS and any institution interested in participating.

 

It is the contention of the Moderators of the NCSS that college-age students are the future socio-economic drivers of any society, and for the South Sudanese Renaissance to be actual, their participation is vital in community and nation building. The volunteerism and internship program shall serve as a means of establishing a research institute, which shall invite scholars from various fields of study to conduct research in to how we can more categorically – inspired by the vision of new Sudan – evolve into a new society, and ensure its sustainability by achieving our principal objectives.

 

Principal Objectives:

The principle objectives of the Youth Agricultural Farm (YAF) shall be the following:

 

• 1) The acquisition of land to establish the YAF in accordance with our Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs),
• 2) The establishment of a Volunteerism and Internship Program to be administered through the Moderators of the NCSS,
• 3) The establishment of a culture of Agribusiness as a modern method of wealth creation for Youth and Women groups,

• To build the capacity of any indigenous organizations which have been ravaged by war,

 

• 5) To assist in improving the challenging living conditions and meeting the basic requirements by adopting programs that are based on self-reliance, accompanied by a grassroots development approach,
• 6) The establishment of a new society that shall be built on a free, just, equitable, democratic and secular system of administration and popular participation of all of its beloved members,
• 7) The achievement and education on the right to self-determination by and for the members of YAF in fulfillment of their aspiration,
• 8) Building of a national consciousness and common purpose within the Republic of South Sudan (as an example to Africa and the World) through the liberation of the individual and society from all forms of political, economic, social or any other constraints; and,
• 9) The restoration of the greatness of our people and the modernization of our societies.

 

Initial Strategy

 

The primary strategy that has been adopted by The NCSS is one of ‘sensitization’ –we call it Political Education. This is necessary due to the diverse communities in which the national conversation shall take place. The NCSS shall strive to gain the confidence of the local communities to ensure sustainability of our projects. The NCSS regards its strategies as a renewed approach to conflict resolution. For this reason, we appreciate the time and patience that it requires for confidence building. This is why the initial entry strategy employed is one of conversations, in order to raise the awareness of those in positions of responsibility within the communities in which we intend to operate.

 

The NCSS through our South Sudan Local Farmers Group Survey, shall develop proposals based on the immediate challenges facing communities in the Republic of South Sudan. Some of these challenges are basic and obvious, like food insecurity. The fact that over half of our civil population is displaced in refugee camps outside the country and internally displaced in Protection of Civilian Camps (PoCs), means that we must start there. The YAF shall strive to create a conducive environment for agri-business to be a viable wealth creation exercise for the women and youth of South Sudan.

 

Justification

 

The effects of war, as established in this document, have had an undeniably negative effect on the full realization of the principle of Self-Determination by the peoples of South Sudan. In most instances, the signing of an Agreement is not equivalent to peace nor does it translate to the end of conflict. In the case of the Republic of South Sudan, inter-communal violence appears to be pervasive. Our conflicts spring – like most conflicts – over the organization and distribution of resources. In the South Sudanese situation, these conflicts have led to the destruction of indigenous knowledge systems, which has had an adverse impact on food security further exacerbating the problem. The resolution of conflict can only be achieved through dialogue, which is the only way to find the appropriate solutions to our problems. There are some conversations we need to have as peoples.

 

The NCSS seeks to coordinate with local, regional, and national institutions to preserve our program’s initiatives (with the legitimate power). This project is to be conducted as a nonprofit business with corporate responsibility to our peoples. The YAF is also –as such–  a community based development program and will be committed to maintaining a constant conversation with communities to make sure that our actions represent positive growth. A Technical Consultant and Advisory Board shall be established by the Moderators, to begin coordinating the capacity building projects.

 

The following NCSS principles shall help to justify this project;

 

Participatory Approach: The YAF will be guided by a participatory approach where the Farmers will be part of its operations, programs, structure, and decision making processes. This is because it is when the Farmer feels ownership of his/her programs that they shall be able to meaningfully contribute to soci-economic development,

 

Executive Approach:  The YAF shall enforce its decision-making processes through its articles, by-laws and MoUs while giving autonomy to local Farmers Groups to formulate their own articles and by-laws within the framework of the laws of our country,

 

Transparency and Accountability:  The YAF will be guided by its principle of transparency and accountability, to ensure sustainable relations with communities, and to make sure resources are managed effectively and efficiently,

 

Teamwork:  The YAF will promote teamwork at all levels of its operations and programs, and will adopt the principle of collective authority with individual responsibilities,

 

Revolutionary Correction:  The YAF will promote self-criticism, so as to learn from its own internal experiences and through advisory and consultancy from partners.  The Moderators will be the first to enroll in capacity building programs so as to build confidence among the junior members of the administration,

 

Justice and fairness: The YAF will strive to eliminate bias behavior in all its operations, programs, and decision-making processes, to ensure justice and fairness by having zero tolerance towards sectarianism and establishing disciplinary bodies at all levels; and,

 

Local Resources:  The YAF will heavily rely on the locally available resources within the community to ensure sustainability of the planned programs and projects as Self-Determination is our ultimategoal.

 

 Targeted Beneficiaries: 

• The civil population in the refugee camps, POCs and in the cattle camps and villages of South Sudan

• Skilled Professionals in each community

• The vulnerable and dependent (widow, orphan, disabled) population

• Primary and Secondary School Leavers

• College and University Students

• Local Authorities

• Unskilled and Unemployed population

• Women and Youth Population; and

• The future generations.

 

Management Plan,

The recurring theme in the work of the NCSS has been the effects of civil conflict and the effects that wars have had on the communities that have experienced it. In the case of the Republic of South Sudan, this conflict has been with us since the Persian invasion of the Nile Valley in 525 BCE, and the subsequent waves of invasions (with little interruption) down to the colonial and neo-colonial eras. This has destroyed indigenous knowledge systems to the extent that some communities have lost the knowledge of crafting spears – let alone needles – from a community which gave iron smelting to the African continent. This is regrettably true for most matters including systems of administration, which are weak or outdated.

 

This is the reason The NCSS has proposed an amorphous administrative strategy, in order that an organic administrative system is evolved for the YAF and for our partners. The technical Consultancy and Advisory Board shall help evolve a system of finance and administration. The YAF shall be established in partnership with these unions and associations we have signed Agreements with. These focal/liaison persons shall be charged with the responsibility of mobilizing and  organizing the local groups interested in partnering with the YAF. The YAF shall evolve a system of administration that shall reflect, not only the character of our respective communities, but also be relevant to work carried out in the field. The strategy of “cutting and pasting” systems of administration can potentially   create organizational structures that are irrelevant to the realities of the societies in which they are found, and don’t correspond to field work. This job mentality usually translates to squandering of resources and the consequent corruption of the system.

 

The Moderator for Agri Business is required to either be an agronomist by profession or have enough experience in the agricultural sector, and shall have a local apprentice selected from the communities. The NCSS is aware of the decline of the educational system globally over the years, which has created a situation where Colleges and Universities are passing out students who have no knowledge in their fields of study. This has been demonstrated to us through the appointment in the past of Managers to the YAF project and their subsequent failure to develop programs, their training usually being for established systems. This is not our situation.

 

In light of these circumstances, the NCSS has resolved that although credentials are important and shall be the primary criteria for selection of the Moderator for Agri Business, we shall also consider those who can demonstrate their skills even without credentials. While the Moderator for Agri Business shall have full creative control of the YAF projects, they shall be required to liaise with the other Moderators of the NCSS.

 

The YAF shall be established within spaces allocated to us by the farmers unions and associations we partner with. This will help to expedite the practical implementation of our project and avoid duplication. This shall be done in tandem with building the capacity of Cooperatives and other Community Based Organizations (CBO) so as to evolve systems of administration that shall reflect the character of the communities within which we operate.

 

The Focol/Liaison Person

 

The Focal/liaison Person will be the coordinator for a particular YAF program in its initial stage. They shall facilitate the YAF programs in the different areas and will be the one to officially launch the YAF program in the communities.  They will take direction from the Moderators through the Moderator for Agri-business on any issues regarding changes, initiatives, or any structural matters of the YAF program. The overall duty of the Focal/Liaison Person will be to liaise between the Moderators   and the farmers unions and associations; largely to make sure that the vision is being implemented at all levels.

 

The Moderator for Agri Business

 

The Moderator for Agri Business shall be the Managing Director of the YAF. The Moderator for Agri Business shall be responsible for the successful implementation of the YAF Project. More responsibilities can be found in the Terms of Reference (ToR)  for the Moderators.

 

Closing Appeal:

We end this initial communication with an appeal to the youth and women of the Republic of South Sudan, the African continent, and the World to take up the challenge of the African Renaissance and to own it. Youth of a new Sudan! Youth of both Sudan! Youth of Africa! Youth of the African Diaspora!  ‘Organize, don’t agonize! Come let us fulfil the promise of a new society that shall be our new home and the future of our nascent Republic, Africa and the World. A New Humanity.

You will hear from us!

 

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-Moderators-