For the International Day of Peace, observed on 21 September, an experience from Dhiau-kuei village in South Sudan shows how dialogue can provide a starting point for addressing local disputes. In this community in Cueibet County, Lakes State, farmers, cattle herders and elders met through AVSI’s RURALSS project to discuss their concerns and agree on rules governing livestock access to cultivated areas.
The discussions brought together people whose livelihoods depend on access to land and water in different ways. Farmers need to protect growing crops; herders need pasture and water for their cattle. When these needs overlap, particularly during the dry season, reaching an agreement requires hearing both perspectives.
International Day of Peace: making space for different perspectives
The International Day of Peace is dedicated to non-violence and peace. In Dhiau-kuei, the work began with roundtable discussions where farmers, herders and community elders could explain the difficulties they faced.
Farmers who began growing vegetables on a small scale in 2019 described repeated crop damage caused by roaming livestock. Herders faced the challenge of finding grazing land and water during periods of scarcity, when cattle movements could bring animals into cultivated fields.
“I lost the little farm that helped feed the family and earn money,” says Akoldo, one of the farmers in the area.
This account was one perspective within a wider discussion about how cultivation and cattle keeping could coexist. The meetings gave participants a setting in which to discuss losses, explain their needs and work towards arrangements they could accept.
From listening to jointly agreed rules
Through RURALSS, the initial discussions developed into community forums. Farmers, herders and elders took part in formulating rules to protect cultivated areas and address damage when it occurred.
The community agreed on by-laws that include fines of 50,000 South Sudanese pounds for each cow that destroys crops and 20,000 South Sudanese pounds for other damage. According to the account from the village, these rules have been applied, and cattle keepers are keeping livestock away from cultivated zones during the main farming seasons.
The process involved more than setting penalties. Participants moved from discussing the dispute to defining a shared response, with responsibility for applying the agreement remaining within the community.
“We have been able to restore dialogue among ourselves, as we don’t want to be dependent on outside support to solve our issues,” says one of the cattle herders.
How AVSI facilitates dialogue in South Sudan
In South Sudan, local conflicts continue to disrupt livelihoods and displace families. AVSI’s work in the country includes facilitating dialogue and cooperation between groups that depend on shared resources, including land.
In Dhiau-kuei, AVSI’s role through RURALSS was to guide discussions among farmers, herders and elders. Participants identified their concerns and formulated the community rules themselves. Agricultural activities provided the context for this work: decisions about where cattle move and where vegetables grow affect relationships as well as production.
RURALSS, implemented by AVSI and funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was launched in 2021 as a five-year project. It works with rural communities and small-scale farmers in Torit, Ikotos and Magwi counties in Eastern Equatoria State, and Cueibet and Wulu counties in Lakes State. Its activities include agricultural training, crop production and processing, connections with markets and nutrition education, with the aim of improving food availability, diets and household incomes.
An agreement put into practice
Farmers in Dhiau-kuei report better harvests since the rules were introduced, with vegetables sold directly at Cueibet market. One farmer describes the experience: “We have had the best harvest this year as the animals did not destroy the fields. This has also brought peace in our homes.”
These testimonies describe changes experienced by participants; they do not establish that every source of tension has been resolved. The herder’s account of restored dialogue points to another result: people involved in the dispute are discussing how to manage it together.
On International Day of Peace, the experience in Dhiau-kuei offers a concrete example of that process: bringing different interests to the same table, listening to the concerns behind them and negotiating rules that community members put into practice.
