The Director for Agriculture and Forestry, Manix Augustine Oloya Okalanga, told this publication in an interview that the county has registered farmers recording losses due to recent heat waves experienced in the region.
Magwi County, once a breadbasket of Eastern Equatoria State, is now battling the devastating impact of drought and a potential failure in crop yields, which could affect an estimated 260,634 people.
Okalanga worried that this could lead to food insecurity in the country, as Magwi county supplies not just the state but also Juba and some parts of Northern Uganda.
Over 87 per cent of the communities in Magwi County are expected to experience hunger, according to the county Director for agriculture and forestry.
“There is hunger already hitting the villages in Magwi County here, especially. Even the rain that had started has abruptly stopped; we fear it will hit as badly as it has stopped raining, and prices have also hiked up,” stated Okalanga.
Pajok, Obbo, Iwire, Pageri, and Magwi are some of the Payams that will mostly be hit.
“Communities of Nyolo, Agoro centres, Opirika, Amee, Abara, Omeo, and Agoro Maji during the insecurity that happened, all lost their food to the heat waves as they fled for safety. The foods that they had left in either the farms, “
Magwi County has just experienced a short period of rain in late April, leaving many farmers worried.
Okalanga advised farmers to plant crops that are both short-term and long-term crops to support families in the long run, as heat waves continue, with the county experiencing little rainfall, unable to sustain crop growth.
Magwi county government also encouraged communities to plant drought-resistant crops and long-term crops to avert looming hunger.
According to the World Food Program, at least 7.7 million people are facing severe food insecurity due to conflict and the effects of climate change across South Sudan. Magwi County is no exception.
