Sudan

Effects of Climate Change

In Sudan, temperatures are increasing and rainfall is decreasing. Arid and semi-arid areas are expanding as more water is lost to the atmosphere. The land quality is reduced, more of it turns to desert, and crop yields fall. As water becomes scarcer, people can no longer be self-sufficient in crop cultivation and livestock husbandry.

Practical Action Project

In Sudan the main effect of climate change is a reduction in rainfall, which also means a reduction in food security and clean water resources.

Food Processing
Practical Action is helping women in Eastern Sudan to help support their families by offering training in food processing techniques. This method of generating an alternative income allows money to be available when food is scarce. Practical Action runs training courses in fruit and vegetable dehydration, making jams, juices, sweets, cakes, biscuits and dairy products. As the women dont have access to refrigeration these techniques are very useful to them. With these new skills they improve their food security and raise their income by selling their product, particularly in out of season times.

Zeer Pots
Women have also been trained in making zeer pots, an ingenious method of using two clay pots with damp sand in between them to keep vegetables cooler for longer as they are transported to market. This means higher income for families as vegetables are fresher in the extreme heat.

Climate Choices Childrens Voices

Impacts of Climate Change: Sudan

Personal Story
Layla Gumma received training from Practical Action in 1994, and she started making juice and jam. She now trains other women in the skills of food processing. Layla said,
I n Kas s al a, t h ere a r e l o ts o f v ege t ab les . W e d epe nd o n th e seas ons for vege ta bles b ecaus e villag es do nt h a ve many fr id ges , so we c an us e dr ying to p reser ve ve ge ta bles fo r se asons wh en th ese ve ge ta bles ar e n ot a v ai la bl e . I w o ul d l ik e t o he lp p eo pl e to g e t i nc r ease d inc om e beca us e w o men ma y h a ve ve ge ta bles th a t are no t used s o wh a t ha ppe ns t o t h e m ? I s h o w the m h o w to m a k e d i f f e r e n t p rod uc ts fro m thes e ve ge ta bles .

She continued,
I n th e toma t o s eas on, f or e xa mpl e th ere w ou ld be a su rp lus o f to ma toes so ins tead o f ha ving th em w as ted I wo uld tra in peo ple living aro und me h ow to pres er ve th em in s eas on in th e for m o f eith er to ma to p as te or d ried as c hips . T he n, in the o nion gr ow ing se ason w e tra i ned peop le to cho p a nd d r y the m , to ke ep them for th e seas on wh en th ere w ere no o nions . The re is a se ason for fru i ts suc h as ma ngo es , g ua vas a nd pumpkins which w e cut into ch ips or turn them into juice o r j am . T his fo od is o f t en g i ve n to th e w o me ns c hi ld r en w hic h i m pro ves th e nu t r i t ion v al ue o f th ei r d ie t . So me t im es g rou ps work to ge th er b ecaus e in so me p l aces ther e is l o ts o f mi lk a nd th e y c o ul d s e ll t hi s to a no the r gro up , wh ich c an th en p rocess it to make c hees e an d yog hur t a nd se ll it b ack to th e firs t gr oup. An a dd ed b ene fit in th ese tra i nin g gr oups is to impro ve w omen s se lfco n fidenc e a nd se lf-re lianc e.

Climate Choices Childrens Voices