Invest in Farming, Take Advantage of “rainy season”: Catholic Bishop in South Sudan

Tombura-Yambio, 27 June, 2023 / 4:00 PM

The rainy season in parts of South Sudan provides an opportunity to practice farming, Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of South Sudan’s Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio (CDTY) has said, and directed that Catholic institutions in his Episcopal See set invest in farming. 

In a statement shared with ACI Africa Tuesday, June 27, Bishop Hiiboro says, “I am calling upon all of the Parishes and Institutions under my diocese to start a one-acre farm (or more as per your capacity) during this rainy season.”

He emphasizes that the piece of land set aside for farming “must be within the official church-leased land”, and adds, “This directive does not prevent creativity of any place should they wish to do more than one acre.”

The South Sudanese Catholic Bishop further directs Parishes to “use Sunday collections twice a month from July to November 2023 to support the realization of this (farming) initiative.”

“I am also directing that we keep aside offerings for two Sundays and use them for the purposes of farming,” Bishop Hiiboro says in the statement dated June 24, and adds, “From the offerings, we can be able to purchase seeds, and clear and plow the land.”

The Local Ordinary of CDTY further says that “Parishes or institutions are allowed to make special fundraising to finance this project.”

“This call is also open to any creative and effective chapels, Centers or quasi-parishes, or small institutions,” the Catholic Bishop who has been at the helm of CDTY since his Episcopal Ordination in June 2008 says.

“In so doing, we shall have food in our houses, and even have a surplus to give to those in need including the vulnerable among us,” he says

The Catholic Church leader goes on to emphasize the need for the farming initiative, saying, “Let us purposely make a conscious effort in starting to farm in earnest by creating not less than one acre of the farm so that there may be food in the institution and Parish.”

“Relief and donation are not the solution but improving productive activities like cultivation will raise the standards of people,” he says.

The 59-year-old Catholic Bishop adds, “I firmly believe that relief and charity are not the solutions and my premise is to raise the standards of living, people need to improve their own productive activities – in this case, cultivation, livestock, and fishing.”

“We can execute this noble project by soliciting help from our Christians in the Parishes and the members of our institutions like students,” he says.

Bishop Hiiboro directs, “A Parish Food Security Taskforce must be established to monitor every progress at every stage while reporting and updates must be to the faithful or members every week.” 

“The first report on farming activities will be expected in the first week in the month of October,” he further directs in his June 24 statement shared with ACI Africa.