• Other Global Locations
  • Search
Host an Event
Donate
  • Empowering Communities

South Sudan Agriculture Project Ignites Joyce’s Passion for Farming

on  November 13, 2025

“I am very happy because I am no longer stressed since l can afford my needs.”

These were the sentiments shared by Joyce, a 45-year-old wife and mother living in Torit County of South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria state. Joyce participated in the Empowering Leaders Through Nutrition-Smart Agriculture project, implemented through our partnership with Lift Up the Vulnerable. 

In the rural village where Joyce lives, subsistence farming and rain-fed agriculture are the main sources of income. But land degradation and droughts intensified by climate change have exacerbated food and economic insecurity. The majority of the community, including Joyce’s family, lives below the poverty line. 

For many years, Joyce and her husband sold firewood and grass, but they often didn’t earn enough income to support their family. They ate one to two meals a day, and the adults in their family frequently only ate dinner to ensure there was more food for the children. 

In 2024, Joyce enrolled in the Farmer Field School, an initiative launched as part of the Empowering Leaders Through Nutrition-Smart Agriculture project. The project works to improve food and nutrition security for Hope for South Sudan, a residential school and orphanage near Torit, and its surrounding community, by building capacity in crop production for consumption and income generation. Farmer Field Schools were established to teach sustainable agriculture techniques to local farmers and enable them to learn and work at Hope for South Sudan’s garden, with the ultimate goal of increasing crop yields and income opportunities. 

Through the Farmer Field School, Joyce learned new farming techniques that bridged traditional knowledge with modern methodologies. Joyce gave an example, saying, “I had never worked with organic fertilizer, but now I can defend and share everything I have learned.” She also received seeds for planting. 

With the skills and seeds she received, Joyce was empowered to increase her crop yields. “We managed to harvest 1,500 kilograms of sorghum with my husband,” she said. She has expanded her farm, now growing maize, sorghum, groundnuts and more. She uses some crops to feed her family, improving their nutritional status. They now consistently eat three meals daily. “I have improved my agricultural knowledge and skills, where I am able to diversify my farm and prepare a nutritious diet for my family… I am strong and energetic because I eat nutritious food,” she said. “My family is free of any malnutrition since I have diverse food for my family.”

She also sells surplus produce from her farm at the local market. The additional income has helped ease her family’s financial challenges. Joyce said, “The health of my family has changed since I can now afford to get medication and buy necessary food for my children.”

Her participation in the Empowering Leaders Through Nutrition-Smart Agriculture project led to an employment opportunity in Hope for South Sudan’s school garden. Her salary has further improved her family’s economic situation and ensures she is able to meet her children’s basic needs.

Joyce is one of many farmers in the community who are seeing improvements to their crop yields and incomes. Anthony, deputy director of Hope for South Sudan, supervises the farmers who work at the school. He said that there has been an “increase in food production” and “reduction in malnutrition” among the farmers and their families. “There is also a good approach to farming as compared to before this project in the community.”

Ultimately, Joyce has found her passion. “I am very proud to work in agriculture,” she said. “I am passionate about the land.” She noted that it has “completely changed” her life, and she is excited to do more. “I am looking forward to acquiring more knowledge and skills to improve my farm, creating greater passion and dedication for agriculture.”

Economic empowerment for Joyce and families around the world is made possible through your support. Donate today to help underserved people worldwide achieve food security and resilience. 

About the Author

Hannah Payne is the Public Relations & Communications Manager at Rise Against Hunger. She facilitates communication between Rise Against Hunger and the media.

Strength, Stability And Hope

The gift that filled Nelly’s table.

“We were yielding very little, and the crops could not sustain us the whole year,” Nelly remembers. As a mother of seven and a farmer with two decades of experience, the stress of inconsistent yields was all-consuming. A poor harvest not only strained her family financially, but also limited their own meals to just two a day. Their story reflects that of many in their fishing and farming village near a lake in the Karonga district of northern Malawi. Here, heavy rainfall makes conventional farming methods nearly impossible. The entire village is, quite literally, saturated in food insecurity — a reality that leaves families struggling to survive season after season without a dependable source of nourishment.

In 2019, Nelly began participating in Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience, a sustainable agriculture project implemented by Rise Against Hunger in partnership with the Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS). The project works with 3,100 smallholder farmers in Malawi’s Karonga and Mzimba districts to strengthen food and nutrition security by improving production methods, nutrition practices and household income.

Just one year later, Nelly was ready to expand the variety of crops on her farm. What land once only produced maize began to flourish with sesame, cowpeas, rice and groundnuts during the rainy season (summer), as well as maize and vegetables during the dry season (winter). Through climate-smart agriculture training, she learned new techniques like manure making, pit planting and mulching, crop rotation and intercropping. Equipped with these tools, Nelly’s farm began to thrive.

After the 2023–2024 growing season, she sold enough produce to purchase an ox cart. Her harvests in 2024-2025 season yielded over 500 pounds of crops, including 22 bags of groundnuts, seven bags of maize, 12 tins of sesame and three bags of rice. With this surplus, she was able to invest in a motorbike, which she now uses to transport African doughnuts (mandasi) that she cooks and sells — creating yet another source of income for her family.

The transformation reaches far beyond her finances. Nelly now has the stability to provide for her husband and children. “I am able to eat different food types, pay school fees for my children and fulfill the visions that I have made with my family,” she beams. “I am now sleeping peacefully without any fears of food or paying school fees for the children.”

Her leadership has also grown. Today, Nelly serves as a leader in the Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience project, teaching other farmers in her district to adopt climate-resilient, labor-saving practices. By sharing her knowledge, she is multiplying her impact — empowering her neighbors to experience the same transformation she has achieved.

Across Nelly’s community, food and economic security are on the rise. Lombani, a government extension officer for the region, explains, “I can see the community is being transformed in the sense that in the area, there is food, income and nutrition security. Development is also happening at the household level.”

Nelly reflects on what it means to invest in holistic programs that address the root causes of hunger: “We are now healthy people. Children are going to school after eating their breakfast, having high yields and different types of crops due to conservation agriculture practices. With the support from the project, we have food, and we can access other food items from the market after selling our produce.”

This is the gift that fills: a future full of stability, strength and hope. It fills tables with food, families with security and communities with the resources to thrive. It’s an investment in futures rooted in resilience and hope.