According to AFP, the agricultural sector in Sudan is being affected by prolonged conflict and unfavorable weather developments. Fighting between the army and paramilitary forces that broke out in April 2023 has killed more than 200,000 people and pushed nearly 20 million people into a serious food shortage. Meanwhile, tensions in the Gulf region have also caused fuel and fertilizer costs in Sudan to rise.
The strengthening phenomenon of El Nino in the Pacific continues to cause more difficulties for agricultural production in Sudan. El Nino changes the global wind and rainfall regime, causing the rainy season in Sudan to come late, leading to a sharp drop in the Nile River water level.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned that weather conditions this year have many unfavorable developments, with lower than average rainfall and prolonged droughts, increasing risks to farming activities in Sudan.
Climate and hydrological scientist Elfatih Eltahir of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said that after 30 years of research, he found that El Nino is often accompanied by low Nile water levels. In particular, El Nino appearing at the end of spring like this year will increase the risk of drought in southeastern Sudan and northwestern Ethiopia - the upper reaches of the Blue Nile.
Data from the University of Tubingen (Germany) shows that the water level at the reservoir of the Great Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia on the Blue Nile in July was about 6m lower than the same period last year. Some areas in this river basin in the summer only recorded rainfall equal to half of the normal level.
In Gedaref state, one of Sudan's key sorghum and sesame production areas, many fields are still barren as August comes, instead of being covered in green as usual. Faced with the lack of rain, farmers have turned to "praying for rain" rituals, and switched to drought-tolerant crops and postponed planting.
Not only facing water shortages, Sudanese farmers are also under pressure from rising production costs. About 65% of the country's arable land is currently abandoned. Many farmers, even though they have sown seeds, are forced to leave their crops withered because they are not able to continue investing.
