CRN News Desk | Smallholder farmers in Yei River and Magwi counties are expected to reduce cereal-processing costs and strengthen household incomes after receiving 12 cereal-grinding machines from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The machines were handed over on October 20 to 12 farmer groups participating in GIZ’s Improved Living Conditions and Psychosocial Support (ILiPS) project. Each group has 25 members, with women making up 60 percent of the beneficiaries.
The support is intended to help farmers process cereals more efficiently, reduce the time and labour involved in traditional processing, add value to their produce and generate additional income.
GIZ South Sudan implements the project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Speaking during the handover, GIZ Agricultural Advisor Ramson Duku said the equipment is intended to strengthen household livelihoods and promote self-reliance among beneficiaries.
“This support is intended to provide beneficiaries with practical tools that can contribute to increased household income and improved resilience. We encourage beneficiaries to take ownership of the equipment, maintain it properly, and use it sustainably for the benefit of their families and communities,” Duku said.
Representatives from GIZ South Sudan, implementing partners, local authorities, communities and beneficiary groups attended the handover ceremony.
Beneficiaries welcomed the support, saying the grinding machines would help increase productivity, lower processing costs and create opportunities for income generation.
GIZ said the beneficiaries will also receive training, technical assistance and follow-up support to promote the effective and sustainable use of the equipment.
The grinding mills form part of wider efforts to strengthen agricultural extension services and promote climate-smart farming practices among smallholder farmers in Yei and Magwi counties.
Through the ILiPS project, GIZ supports returnees, internally displaced persons and host communities to increase agricultural production and improve food security. The project also supports cereal value addition and income-generating activities while promoting access to psychosocial support services and awareness of psychosocial well-being.