Agricultural Potential, Rural Roads, and Farm Competitiveness in South Sudan
The work described in this report is a first step to addressing the longer-term issues related to the competitiveness of South Sudan's farmers in a regional context. It focuses on the options for increasing the amount and value of agricultural production in the crop sector, the potential contribution of rural roads to increasing crop production and how to sequence and prioritize rural road investments in a way that maximizes their contribution to realization of the country's full agricultural potential, especially in light of the competing needs for resources, the very high construction and maintenance costs of rural roads, and the low capacity of the local construction industry. The report also explores possible ways of increasing the cost competitiveness of agriculture in South Sudan vis-a-vis its neighbors (Uganda and Sudan). The core sections of the report include: i) an assessment of the potential for expanding cropland to increase agricultural production; ii) assessment of the contribution and role of improved rural roads and enhanced access to markets in creating incentives for future expansion of cultivated land in areas with high agricultural potential; iii) an estimation of budget requirements for road investments in areas with high agricultural potential; and iv) an analysis of the implications of better road infrastructure for agricultural competitiveness, including an assessment of farm price and cost competitiveness vis-a-vis Uganda and Sudan, to highlight areas where costs can be reduced to enable South Sudan to compete with food imports, even if local marketing and logistics costs decline in the future.