GCA Partners with World Bank to Strengthen Climate-Smart Livestock Systems in South Sudan
R
otterdam, the Netherlands, 15 June 2025 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) announced that it will provide technical assistance and digital innovation support to the World Bank’s South Sudan Resilient Livestock Sector Project, a flagship five-year initiative running from 2024 to 2029. The livestock sector in South Sudan underpins the livelihoods of more than 80 percent of households and represents an estimated US $2.2 billion in economic value. Yet, the severe flooding of 2022 and ongoing climate shocks have exposed critical vulnerabilities in animal health services, grazing lands and water infrastructure, threatening food security, income generation and employment across rural communities.
GCA’s contribution will focus on integrating climate risk analysis and digital tools to transform how natural resources and animal health services are managed. First, an in-depth climate risk profiling exercise will assess the vulnerability of water sources, pasture and forage to changing rainfall patterns and extreme weather events. By generating geo-referenced maps of rangelands and water points, project stakeholders will be able to target interventions where they are most needed, ensuring that limited resources deliver maximum impact. Parallel to this, GCA will carry out a feasibility study of existing digital infrastructure and stakeholder networks to identify and pilot climate-smart solutions such as real-time weather alerts, disease-risk mapping and mobile advisory services. These innovations aim to optimize the timing and coverage of vaccination campaigns, deworming programs and community-led dipping-tank operations, reducing the prevalence of transboundary animal diseases that cost herders both livestock and livelihoods.
In addition to analytical work, GCA will support the Ministry of Livestock & Fisheries and community animal health workers through a comprehensive capacity-building program. This will include technical training in climate-informed husbandry practices, policy dialogue platforms to strengthen institutional coordination, and the deployment of e-extension tools that bring tailored climate information directly to herders via mobile devices.
“By integrating cutting-edge digital tools with community-driven natural resource management, we can transform South Sudan’s livestock sector into a model of climate resilience,” said Professor Patrick V. Verkooijen, GCA President and CEO. “This partnership with the World Bank underscores our commitment to ensuring that livestock-dependent communities have the knowledge, infrastructure and institutional support needed to thrive in the face of climate change.”
GCA’s support will complement the World Bank’s US $50 million in IFI financing, reinforcing animal health services and sustainable natural resource management with digital solutions and participatory approaches. Over the coming six months, GCA will engage local communities, government partners and private-sector stakeholders to co-design and scale interventions that restore degraded rangelands, regenerate water-fodder infrastructure and promote the widespread adoption of climate-smart livestock practices. By laying this groundwork during the initial 2024–2025 phase, GCA and the World Bank aim to deliver a resilient, impact-driven model that can be replicated across other pastoral systems in the region.
