Authorities in Magwi County in Eastern Equatoria State are urging farmers to move from subsistence agriculture to commercial production, saying the shift is needed to boost yields and improve livelihoods.
County Commissioner Lam Francis Gabriel said most households rely on farming and that modernization, including mechanisation, could increase output in the largely agrarian area.
“The potential for commercial farming in Magwi is promising,” he said, citing fertile soils, rainfall and relative stability as key advantages for investment.
Gabriel said some farmer groups were already cultivating up to 20 hectares collectively, but rising fuel costs and limited access to machinery were constraining expansion.
“We must all work hard to attain our goals,” he said, adding that surplus production was essential for income, education and improved living standards.
The county’s director of agriculture, Manixs Oloya Augustine, said capacity-building efforts had helped some groups expand production, but most farmers still rely on hand tools.
“Farmers currently rely on manual tools which are inadequate for large-scale agriculture,” he said, calling for more support, including equipment and financing.
At the community level, farmers said progress remains limited by lack of machinery and erratic rainfall.
Atim Betty Sura, spokesperson for the Wiye Onyak Agricultural Cooperative Society, said members were cultivating about five feddans and engaging in seed multiplication, but needed ox-ploughs to expand.
Odong Anthony Okech, chairperson of SANCO Multipurpose Cooperative, said poor roads and limited processing equipment were also hindering market access and value addition.
“Digging with a hoe makes it hard to bring about change quickly,” he said, adding that lack of tractors and milling machines was slowing commercialisation efforts.
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