Rice: Planting Season in South Sudan

Gabriel Peter will tell you himself, for his age and his size, he has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. With two wives, 16 children, and a handful of close relatives depending on him, it's no wonder why he hits the field everyday. Peter has been farming near Yambio, South Sudan since 1998, a time when many were returning to the area after peace came to the region. "Farming is good because you can provide food for your family and hopefully have enough left over to sell some." Peter said. During 2012 alone, Action Africa has provided seven metric tons of maize, five metric tons of rice, and 1,300 hand tools to farmers in the region along with trainings on better planting techniques. AAH also has assisted in building several key roads to give farmers access to markets, community processing centers, and area storehouses. Because of war people left and lost the skills they had for farming," Paida said. "Now that people are coming back everyone is having to start over."