Assessment of sustainable prodcution of stable food crops in Southern Darfur State-Sudan

The main problems facing the small producers in Southern Darfur State (SOS) are limit access to credit and technological package, steady decline in rainfall, limited range of crops, ineffectiveness of pest control, farm size is small, low yield per unit area, production is mainly for subsistence and all operations are manual using traditional tools. Decline in production resulted in successive grain deficit. The situation was aggravated by insecurity problems prevailed in SDS since 2003. The study hypnotized that traditional rain fed agriculture has limited access to farm input and technological knowledge, area cultivated is small, production is low and mainly for subsistence, insecurity, shortage of rainfall and pests are the major factors attributed to grain gap in SDS, production of stable food crops was concentrated in areas of low rainfall and low soil fertility and there is a chance for regional trade in SDS. The study is justified on the ground that low production of stable food crops and consecutive grain gap in SDS need an initiatives to improve food security. Low standards of living of farmers will lead to considerable labor shortage on farms. Accordingly, there is a need to increase small holder agricultural productivity and food supplies. To improve grain production, it is needed to expand production towards areas of higher rainfall and fertility in Qoz and clay soils. The main objective of the study is sustaining the production of the main stable food crops. The specific objectives are to explore the potential resources of SDS, their capabilities, and constraints, to assess the major problems of the traditional rain-fed, to identify the main factors attributed to grain gap and to explore the possibility of regional trade in SDS. Primary and secondary data is the main source of information of the study. The design used for sampling was the multi-stage stratified systematic random sample. The total sample size interviewed was 300 households. Descriptive statistic, regression analysis and correlation coefficient matrix were used to analyze the data. The results of the assessment showed that the entire tested hypotheses were accepted. The study concluded that huge potential natural resources of SDS can offer a firm foundation for sustainable agricultural production if properly tapped, limited access to farm inputs, marketing problems, and lack of extension service are the main factors attributed to low production of crops in SDS, insecurity, pests and diseases, inadequate amount of rainfall and financial inability are the major factors attributed to grain gap in the State. There is a chance for intra-regional trade in SDS. For policy implication, the introduction of mechanized farming in the alluvial soils, prevalence of security in rural areas, and infrastructure are the prerequisite of agricultural development in SDS