Potentially Important Trees of South Sudan

The South Sudan Integrated Food Security and Livelihood Project, which is funded by the Australian Government - Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through the Australia NGO Cooperative Programme (ANCP) funding mechanism, aims to achieve improved household food and income security through increasing agricultural production, productivity and increasing incomes, which can be used to enable families to purchase food and diversify diets.

Food Plant Solutions publications provide educational resources to different stakeholders in South Sudan, with special support to FMNR (Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration) introduction and promotion work, by providing good reference to food plant trees, creating awareness and enabling a better understanding of the nutritional value of their local food plants. 

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration 

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is a low-cost land restoration technique used to combat poverty and hunger amongst poor subsistence farmers by increasing food and timber production and resilience to climate extremes. 

In practice, FMNR involves the systematic regrowth and management of trees and shrubs from felled tree stumps, sprouting root systems or seeds. The regrown trees and shrubs – integrated into crops and grazing pastures – help restore soil structure and fertility, inhibit erosion and soil moisture evaporation, rehabilitate springs and the water table, and increase biodiversity. Some tree species also impart nutrients such as nitrogen into the soil. 

As a result, FMNR can double crop yields, provide building timber and firewood, fodder and shade for livestock, wild foods for nutrition and medication, and increased incomes and living standards for farming families and their communities.