JUBA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Wednesday called on South Sudan to embark on investment in the agriculture sector amidst the deteriorating food security situation.

Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General at FAO, said the food security situation in the country is expected to worsen due to looming floods predicted to affect the country from June to July, peaking in September that could impact between 600,000 and 3.3 million people, based on varying impact scenarios.

"It's time to invest in agriculture especially when the most food insecure are farmers themselves, there is so much potential in the agricultural sector of South Sudan, and prioritizing agriculture can make a difference," Bechdol told reporters in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Bechdol is currently in South Sudan on a six-day working visit where she is leading a high-level delegation including Rein Paulsen, Director of the Office of Emergencies and Resilience, and Lifeng Li, Director of Land and Water.

During Bechdol's visit, the FAO official met with government authorities, donors, partners, and the communities served by FAO where she is bringing attention back to South Sudan, highlighting the challenges faced and the opportunities that exist to change the trends and improve food security.

She said South Sudan is a land with abundant natural resources and to unlock its full potential, there is need for all stakeholders involved to accept that, to achieve impact of scale, no organization or entity can work in isolation, real change will require joining forces and building on comparative advantages.

"FAO is ready to support the people of South Sudan. Alongside partners and the government, FAO is providing the needed water for people and livestock, sources of nutrition for women and children, and support to develop the livestock value chain to enable farmers to make a living and support their families," Bechdol said.

The official warned that above-normal rainfall forecast this season and large volumes of water being released from Lake Victoria into the Nile River could worsen the floods predicted to surpass the record levels witnessed in September 2022, necessitating a high level of preparedness.

"We need to strategize ahead of the floods and set in place early warning systems and anticipatory actions. We need to bridge emergency and resilience and, we can achieve this by transforming agrifood systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable," she said. Enditem

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