Feature: Sudanese turn to home farming for survival, livelihood amid war

KHARTOUM, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) — Ahmed Al-Nour Al-Haj, a resident from Omdurman, a populous city north of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, turned his home into a small farm where he grows vegetables, fruits, and other agricultural products.
“I grow essential vegetables such as onions, okra, eggplant, mallow, and pumpkin, along with fruits such as lemon and mango, and various types of dates,” Al-Haj told Xinhua.
“The war has pushed us to resort to this means to obtain food and achieve self-sufficiency,” he added.
Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, resulting in the loss of at least 16,650 lives. An estimated 10.7 million people are now internally displaced in Sudan, with approximately 2.2 million others seeking refuge in neighboring countries, according to the latest UN data.
A recent report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) showed that about 25.6 million people — more than half of the population of Sudan — face acute hunger, including more than 755,000 people on the brink of famine.
The risk of famine is particularly severe in 14 areas across the country, including some hotspots in Khartoum, the OCHA report showed.
Al-Haj was not the only one in adapting to the challenges of life in the State of Khartoum. The war has led to severe food shortages and high commodity prices, forcing thousands of families in the state to turn to home farming, or indoor farming, to secure their food supply.
“I sought a way to help my family and decided to farm inside our home in Omdurman,” said Nadia Ezz El-Din, a university student from Omdurman.
“I cultivate various crops and vegetables that we need on a daily basis, including tomatoes, peppers, and hot peppers,” she said.
In Ezz El-Din’s view, home farming has enabled thousands of families to provide their daily sustenance under harsh conditions of the war.
For others, it has become a livelihood source, with families earning income by selling their homegrown agricultural products.
Zahra Saleh, who runs a small greengrocer near her home in Omdurman’s Karari neighborhood, views home farming as “a job opportunity and a daily source of income.”
“All the vegetables I sell were grown at home,” Saleh told Xinhua.
Salahuddin Idris, a Sudanese agricultural expert, explained that home farming was possible for Khartoum residents due to the area’s fertile lands, favorable climate, and abundant water resources.
With home farming gaining popularity in the State of Khartoum, the local government plans to offer support to productive families.
“We are seeking to localize vegetable production in Khartoum State and working to provide certain types of seeds,” Acting Minister of Social Development of Khartoum State Siddiq Hassan Freini told Xinhua. ■