This research brief summarises the key findings of a seed system resilience field assessment and a multi-stakeholder dialogue conducted in September-October 2020 in Torit County, South Sudan.This activity was conducted as a joint collaborative effort between the Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI) of Wageningen University and Research (WUR), University ofJuba, FAO South Sudan, and AVCI, under the Food and Nutrition Security Resilience Programme(FNS-REPRO) South Sudan Programme.

This research brief summarises the key findings of a seed system resilience field assessment and a multi-stakeholder dialogue conducted in September-October 2020 in Magwi County, South Sudan. This activity was conducted as a joint collaborative effort between the Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI) of Wageningen University and Research (WUR), University of Juba, FAO South Sudan, and AVCI, under the Food and Nutrition Security Resilience Programme (FNS-REPRO) South Sudan Programme.

This research brief summarises the key findings of a seed system resilience field assessment and a multi-stakeholder dialogue conducted in September-October 2020 in Ikwoto County, South Sudan. This activity was conducted as a joint collaborative effort between the Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI) of Wageningen University and Research (WUR), University of Juba, FAO South Sudan, and AVCI, under the Food and Nutrition Security Resilience Programme (FNS-REPRO) South Sudan Programme.

This working document is a collaborative effort between the Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI) of Wageningen University and Research (WUR), Integrated Seed Sector Development in Africa (ISSD-Africa) and FAO South Sudan under the Food and Nutrition Security Resilience Programme (FNS-REPRO). The proposed methodology and tools will be field tested in Torit and Yambio, South Sudan, and validated by the parties mentioned above, based on which a final document will be produced. Building seed system resilience in protracted crises is an important goal of Food and Nutrition Security Resilience Programme (REPRO) South Sudan programme. REPRO South Sudan adopts a food and seed systems approach (FNS) to analyse, understand and promote absorptive, adaptive and transformative seed system resilience capacities in the face of shocks and stressors, in order to improve food and nutrition outcomes. This document presents the working document of the seed system resilience assessment and facilitation tool (SSRA-FT). The SSRA as methodology will be employed by Wageningen Centre for Development Innovation (WCDI), in close consultation with FAO, to develop seed system resilience pathways in South Sudan as part of the REPRO Programme. There are three interrelated parts of the seed system resilience assessment: the SSRA conceptual framework; undertaking the SSRA; and the SSRA toolbox. The SSRA-FT will contribute to developing good practice and policy recommendations in two important domains: building seed system resilience in protracted crises, and seed distribution in emergencies.

The paper analyzes the determinants of long-term individual and community resilience for food and nutrition security in South Sudan using data from multiple sources including key informant interviews, household and community surveys, and georeferenced secondary data on climate, agricultural production, irrigation, and market access. Major agricultural development constraints as well as incidence of and responses to shocks and conflict are described. Climate-crop modeling and simulation methods are used to evaluate the constraints and to identify crop investment options. Then, a spatial typology of food and nutrition security is used to evaluate the constraints along the production-to-nutrition pathway to identify interventions that target different segments of the chain and options for improving agriculture and broader development outcomes. These are classified into production, access, and utilization efficiencies, and whether the underlying constraints are structural (i.e., level of efficiency remains the same over time) or stochastic (i.e., level of efficiency changes over time). The analysis is focused on about a dozen selected counties. The results show that development challenges are being compounded by climate change, with significant increases in the mean annual rainfall and daily maximum temperature for the warmest month. Between 1975 and 2016 for example, the mean annual rainfall in the selected counties increased by 40-111 mm/year, with a rise in the intensity of 0.2-1.3 mm per event. The daily maximum temperature for the warmest month increased by 2.0-3.2°C. If these trends (especially for temperature) continue to 2050, crop yields are projected to decline in the selected counties on average by 12-23% for sorghum, 9-18% for maize, 19-30% for groundnuts, and 16-24% for cassava. In general, there is an inverse-U-shaped the relationship between temperature and yields. While the peak of the inverse U varies by crop, time of the growing season, and other factors, crops in South Sudan are typically on the downward sloping side of the inverse U implying that increases in temperature will decrease yields (and at an increasing rate). Results of a spatial typology show that a majority (78%) of the selected counties are classified as having medium production efficiency and 22% as low production efficiency, none with high production efficiency. With respect to access to nutritious food, 55%, 29%, and 17% of the counties are classified as low, medium, and high access efficiency, respectively. And regarding the conversion of food access into nutritional status, 37%, 26%, and 37% are classified as low, medium, and high utilization efficiency, respectively. Whereas production efficiency mostly remains constant over time, (with only 24% of the counties recording substantial changes in efficiency level), access and utilization efficiency appear more volatile (with substantial changes observed in 52% of the counties). These results suggest that the access segment of the production-to-nutrition value chain is the most constraining, followed by the utilization segment. The differences in the results across counties reflect differences in development constraints across the country, which are also described. Implications of the results for building long-term individual and community resilience are discussed, in addition to areas for further research. Given the complex nature of crises facing South Sudan, our findings call for a comprehensive policy approach to address not only the urgent humanitarian crisis but also to help restore agricultural production systems as well as support communities to cope, recover, and build their vii resilience to shocks and crises. This is in line with the Partnership for Recovery and Resilience (PfRR) integrated programme framework for resilience which comprises four pillars: i) re-establish access to basic services, ii) rebuild trust in people and institutions, iii) restore productive capacities, and iv) nurture effective partnerships.

"As in many post-conflict countries, the roles played by women during Sudan's long-lasting liberation struggle continue to go unrecognised. Thousands of women joined the southern liberation struggle in response to a political situation that affected whole communities, leaving the comfort and security of their homes not just to accompany their husbands but to fight for freedom, democracy, equity, justice, rights and dignity. As well as playing roles in the fighting, women acted as mothers, teachers and nurses, and filled numerous other roles during the war. The long-standing struggle for the liberation of South Sudan severely altered traditional gender roles as well as the societal structure as a whole. Women also suffered during the war. An increase in HIV, hunger and violence, particularly sexual violence, characterised their lives in Sudan as well as in exile for many years. Life in the post-conflict period continues to be challenging, as women try to carve out a meaningful life in a tenuous peace. This volume documents the lives of different groups of women in South Sudan. It seeks to understand the contributions made by a range of women both during the conflict and today. It describes the women of South Sudan: who they are, what they have experienced, what they hope and feel, what they experienced in the war, and whether the end of the war has brought meaningful change"--Back cover.

From putative 'success stories' such as Ghana and Rwanda to failed efforts in Zimbabwe and other countries, this volume brings together seven incisive case studies from diverse contexts including post-war Sierra Leone, Uganda, and the new nation of South Sudan to distil insights into the troubled progress of reform across the African continent.