First Large-Scale Mechanized Farming Brings Relief to South Sudanese Refugees in Ethiopia

Across four refugee camps in Jewi, Terkidi, Kule, and Nguenyyiel in the Gambella Region of Ethiopia, 150 refugee households are completing their first large-scale maize harvest from the crops they have sown three months ago.

A new initiative, supported by Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) in 2025 under a UNHCR-funded project, was made possible through farmland allocated by the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS). It is among the few parcels of land in the region dedicated to refugee livelihoods.

Over the last two years, refugees have faced shrinking food rations, both in quantity and variety. The cuts in food support have been deeply felt. Many families skipped meals, while those who could obtain seeds attempted to plant in small backyard spaces.

This pilot project availed 50 hectares of land to the refugee community along with tractors with improved farming methods, provided farm tools, and distributed both maize and vegetable seeds. The initiative does not stop there. The host community is also able to produce on 25 hectares of land through this project.

In the three camps, 150 refugee households have started to cultivate maize, each with 15 kilograms of seed for half a hectare. In addition, 1,350 refugee households across the camps and 250 host community households received vegetable seeds, okra, and onion, for household gardening.

First Ever Harvest for Nyapout

Nyapuot Thok, a mother of eight from South Sudan, has lived in Terkidi camp since fleeing the war in 2014. She provides for her children and her mother while her husband remains in South Sudan.

On one side of the road in the camp, a large maize field stands ready for harvest.

“I received a 15kg, 0.5-hectare maize plot in June, and the crops are growing very well,” says Nyapuot. “We’ve never had such a big maize farm in our camp before,” she adds proudly.

Along with the maize seeds, she received basic technical guidance on how to plant properly. “Before, when we had money, we used to buy maize seeds from the market and plant them in our backyard. But we didn’t know the right way. We used to put three or more seeds in one hole, and the maize grew small,” she recalls. “Now, we put only one seed in each hole, and the maize grows bigger and better. We have stopped using the old way.”

The farmland was prepared using tractors, which saved time and reduced the need for manual labor. Nyapuot also received farming tools such as a grubbing hoe, gesso, and a fork hoe. In addition to maize seeds, she received vegetable seeds like okra and onion. “Before, there were no corn farms in our camp. NCA is the first to support us in this way,” she says. “Now, our home compound is also full of vegetables.”

For her family of 11, this has been life changing.

“It was very hard to get enough food before. But now, thanks to this project, we are surviving,” she says. “I keep the maize for my family’s food. I save it for difficult times when food rations are cut or stopped. Corn is our favorite food, but it’s too expensive at the market or sometimes not available at all. That’s why I don’t sell it. I keep it to feed my family.”

Planting Seeds Beyond Survival

Nhiol Puok, a community representative in Nguenyyiel Refugee Camp, says he has seen firsthand how much the maize project is helping. “The cultivated maize here in Zone D will ease the food burden,” he says. “Everyone is relieved with how it will solve the food problem in our community.”

Over the past few years, monthly food rations have declined from 17.5 kg to 11 kg per person. Nhiol believes the maize production by the refugees will bring sustainable food security. With this harvest, families in Zone D can worry less about hunger. Most families intend to consume their maize at home, keep seeds for the next season, and sell surplus crops to other refugees or the host community. This will provide food security, a source of income, and reduce dependency on aid.

Under the UNHCR-funded project Enhancing Self-Reliance and Economic Inclusion of Refugees and Host Communities in Gambella, Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) supported agricultural livelihood activities in the three refugee camps. As part of the intervention, 75 hectares of land were cultivated through large-scale maize farming, with 150 households directly benefiting.

As donor funding becomes more constrained, projects like this will be critical in creating opportunities for refugees to rely on their own harvests instead of depending on aid. NCA plans to expand the pilot in the coming year so more families can benefit from farming and strengthen their livelihoods.