Hydroponic Farming and the Sudanese Agricultural Industry

With more than 80 million hectares of cultivable land, Sudan is one of the most fertile countries in the world. Since its independence, agriculture and livestock continued to be the main sources of livelihood for many people in Sudan and representing more than 80% of the country’s exports. 

Currently, there is a great decline in farmers’ production, even state-owned schemes suffer the same inefficiencies due to negligence. According to author and researcher Farida Mahgoub, production levels of state-owned schemes such as Gezira Scheme are less than optimal due to several factors such as recurrent drought, land degradation, inefficient irrigation infrastructure and inconsistent agricultural policies.

Former Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir and his regime especially after oil discovery and production in South Sudan neglected this important sector, contributing to the decline in production and disparity in development in all areas of the industry. ‘In relation to agriculture, one can argue, however, that the Sudanese state since the early days of independence has failed to properly and fairly utilise the country’s agricultural resources. This has transformed the country into a land of poverty and environmental degradation,’ said Mahgoub.

Sudan is rich in agricultural resources but high taxes, corruption and mismanagement have held back the sector, investment in the sector and economy for decades.

Under the nearly 30-year reign of Al Bashir, Sudan’s former government gave away huge chunks of lands to foreign entities, starting with the Jordanian Army in the late 1990s, the Jordanian military pension fund held 9,000 acres of cultivated land. This practice continued along the years especially after losing half of gross domestic product (GDP) due to the separation of South Sudan, and desperate for money, authorities – corruptly and aggressively – leased precious agricultural lands to many countries. In 2016, Saudi Arabia leased 1 million acres of cultivated land. In 2018, Turkey leased 780,000 hectares of land in Sudan.

The UAE, KSA, Qatar, Yemen, Lebanon, Bahrain and Syria are countries with more than 100,000 acres of agricultural land in Sudan. Other foreign countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and China were also granted cultivated lands with renewable 99-year leases to invest in. The result: wasted resources, lack of food security, and a near-collapse of the economy. 

For the Sudanese economy to prosper, the agricultural industry must be given top priority. In an interview with the Associated Press (AP), Sudan’s new prime minister, Dr Abdalla Hamdok, who studied agricultural economics, said that Sudan needs to tap its agricultural potential in order to become a productive economy, ‘We want to take the Sudanese economy from an economy based on consumption and imports to a productive economy, and stop exporting products such as livestock and agriculture as raw materials,’ he said. ‘Instead, we will aim to process them so as to create added value.’ 

‘Agriculture has a significant role to play in the country’s development, in terms of exports as well as industrialisation – for example, as an incubator for major manufacturing industries such as edible oils, leather, and sugar,’ said Mohamed Elgali, a researcher at the department of agricultural economics at the University of Gezira.

On a paper titled, Brief Overview of Sudan Economy and Future Prospects for Agricultural Development, researchers Dr Karrar A. B. Abbadi and Dr Adam Elhag Ahmed attributed lack of growth in the sector to the following constraints:

• Reduced competitiveness because of low productivity and high marketing costs, which results in lower prices for farmers.
• Exports of most goods are concentrated in a few foreign markets, which make them vulnerable to disruptions.
• Lack of strategic planning for different agricultural sub-sectors.
• The low priority accorded to the sector, which is reflected in allocation of public expenditure, formal banking credit and investment.
• Inadequate complementarities and coordination of macroeconomic and sector policies, and persistent neglect of the role that small producers play in achieving food security and poverty alleviation.
• Instability of production that exposure to natural risks and hazards causes, in addition to price competition from subsidised imported goods.
• The low productivity of animal and crop producers because of inadequate training, and a lack of extension programmes or supportive producers’ associations.
• The inefficient use of human resource capacities engaged in agriculture.
• The meagre budget allocated to agricultural research (0.04%) of public expenditure.
• Inadequate social and physical infrastructure.
• Weakness of laws governing the lease and use of land.

Farmers and companies working in the agricultural sector in Sudan face many hurdles today. Some of these difficulties include:

• Lack of resources such as water, electricity, fuel or proper transportation
• Poor Agricultural policies (Tariffs, weak infrastructure)
• Corruption and monopolism

One of the ways to improve the agricultural industry and enable families to achieve food security is the adoption of alternative farming methods such as hydroponic farming. 

Hydroponics refers to the science of growing plants without the use of soil, but by the use of an inert medium, such as gravel, sand, peat, sawdust, rice hulls, or other substrates, to which is added a nutrient solution containing all the essential elements needed by a plant for its normal growth and development. 

Using hydroponic farming could have positive effects on the industry. This method has many benefits both general and industry specific.

General benefits:

• All year-round production (not subject to climate change)
• Requires less water, land and resources
• Minimum labour

Benefits for the industry:

• Fewer resources
• High quality/high yield 
• Innovation and advancement capabilities: Dr Hamdok mentioned that its unfeasible to still be using ancient farming methods and equipment. 

Health benefits:

• Healthier yield (pesticides free)
• Environment friendly (water recycling)
• The ability to produce yield with certain features/ minerals: in Japan, Fujitsu used hydroponic farming to grow low-potassium lettuce, which is later sold to people with kidney problems who cannot process the mineral properly.

Economic value

Using hydroponic farming could provide food security specially for low-income families and Internally displaced people (IDPs). It could also be a productive way to create an income stream. 

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that 20% of Sudan’s population are chronically undernourished, so the need for a change is critical. ‘Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. It contributes about 41% of GDP and 80% of exports; it employs more than 65% of the labour force and provides 50% of raw materials for the industrial sector,’ said Mahgoub.

Agriculture should play an integral part of the new Sudan, not only because of the obvious economic benefits, but because the health, security and stability of the community depends largely on the industry. 

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Mohammed Jalad is a 24-year-old engineer, tech enthusiast and introvert currently living in Malaysia. Exploring writing for the first time, Mohammed will delve into topics of technology and education as well as self-help and motivation.