Farmers in Kapoeta North County, Eastern Equatoria State, have left their fields after swarms of weaver birds ruined their crops, leaving them without anything to harvest.
Despite their desperate attempts to drive the birds away,
the invasion proved too much for the farmers, who eventually gave up on their
fields.
Kapoeta North County Commissioner David Nayee Lomor
confirmed the damage, labeling it the worst year yet for local farmers.
“The weaver birds came and destroyed everything, the farmers
thought they will at least harvest something this year because the last two
years, they failed to harvest well because of the same thing but this year was most
of the worst year for the farmers,” Nayee said.
“You find people are ten in the farms trying to scare birds
but still these birds are still coming. There is nothing that scares them. So,
at the end of the day these people could not get anything, so they surrendered
and left the farms.”
According to Nayee, this is the third straight year of crop
failure in Kapoeta North due to similar bird invasions. Many families now face
hunger, with no food reserves left and limited access to clean drinking water.
He urged farmers not to lose hope and encouraged them to
replant while the rain continues. He also suggested they diversify their crops
to improve their chances in the event of future losses.
“I’m advising them to try another alternative of farming and
also introducing other types of crops,” Nayee stated.
The commissioner called on the state government and
humanitarian partners to act quickly, warning of an impending food crisis.
“I urge partners to at least see how best they can intervene
now because it is not easy for the family to stay for almost twelve months
without anything just getting wild fruits,” he urged.
These ongoing losses have already driven some residents to
leave their homes in search of food and water, increasing displacement and
instability in the greater Kapoeta.