Sudan farms lie barren as El Nino dries up Nile banks

Along the parched banks of Sudan's Nile river, farmers labor under the weight of climate extremes that threaten their livelihoods. Since April 2023, civil war between the government and rebel forces has claimed over 200,000 lives and plunged nearly 20 million into hunger. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions between Iran and the United States disrupted fuel and fertilizer imports, causing prices to skyrocket.

The El Nino climate phenomenon has exacerbated the situation by delaying crucial rains and reducing Nile water levels. Farmers report that the water they require is not replenishing from the riverbanks or from rainfall. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization warns that the current season is unfolding under heightened climate risk, driven by El Nino and delayed, below-average rains.

Climate scientist Elfatih Eltahir of MIT has studied the relationship between El Nino and the Nile for three decades and predicts a high probability of drought in southeastern Sudan and northwestern Ethiopia during late spring. Water levels at the Grand Renaissance dam on the Blue Nile, which supplies most of the Nile's water, have dropped significantly compared to the same time last year.

Despite these challenges, farmers persist, praying for rain and planting drought-resistant crops, but many have given up, leaving their lands fallow as the future of Sudan's agriculture hangs in the balance.