South Sudan: Tonj North prison farm transforms lives of inmates and community members alike
A pioneering farming project in Tonj North is changing the landscape of food security and rehabilitation for local prison inmates. What began as a response to chronic nutritional deficiencies has turned into a business that is not only self-sustaining but also benefits the entire community and its market.
When South Sudan’s National Prison Service expressed concern last year about severe food shortages, their first response was to request assistance from outside actors to provide tools and other resources needed for farming.
However, this did not happen. Instead, development partners, including the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), encourage prison authorities to first ask themselves whether there is anything they can do to resolve the problem themselves.
Malual Deng, one of those who experienced this mild backlash, remembers the moment vividly.
“Their advice was very clear. They told us: ‘You have to take the first step and then we will see how it goes and how we can support you.’ “I think we were all surprised at first, but then we were motivated to take on the challenge.”
Captain Gabriel Gum, who oversees the currently booming project in the town of Warrap, remembers the first steps of the journey fondly.
“We started by buying seeds at local markets and growing them, then used the harvest to feed our prisoners. Although our resources were limited, little did we know how things would turn out!”
The small-scale experiment was an immediate success, with nutritious okra, eggplant, tomatoes and local greens such as guedi-guedi and rigila soon supplementing the prisoners’ diets, making them healthier in the process.
The fact that the resulting product exceeds the prison population’s own consumption leads project managers to sell the surplus on the market, thus increasing food security for everyone in the area.
“Our determination and persistence has paid off handsomely. The results have been incredible, the prisoners are engaged in meaningful activities and we can use the income generated from the sales to address other urgent needs as they arise. Our farm is doing really well ,” said Benham, a prison department clerk.
However, he said, there is still room for improvement.
“If we had the right tools and more resources, we would be able to scale up and increase production. But who knows, maybe we can achieve that ourselves.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
