Sudan farms lie barren as El Nino leaves Nile banks dry

\n GADAREF, Sudan: Along the bone-dry riverbanks of the Nile in Sudan, farmers struggle to pull water to their crops. Others gather to pray for rainfall over cracked earth.
Across the country, farmland that could feed the world’s largest hunger crisis many times over lies fallow, as weary farmers once again find themselves in the crosshairs of faraway destruction.
First came war between the country’s army and rival paramilitaries, which since April 2023 has killed more than 200,000 people and pushed nearly 20 million into crisis levels of hunger.
Then a more distant conflict, between Iran and the United States, crippled fuel and fertilizer supply through the Strait of Hormuz, causing costs to soar.
And now the powerful El Nino climate pattern strengthening in the Pacific Ocean, which impacts winds and rains across the world, has delayed crucial rains and led water levels in the life‑giving Nile to drop precipitously.
Just south of the capital Khartoum, farmer Al‑Tigani Fadlallah points to an island that shouldn’t be there.
“The water usually covers it by July, but you can see it even now,” he told AFP this month, seeing in the sunbaked sandbank a bad omen for his parched crops.
Through the length of Sudan, from the northern fields near Egypt, along the Nile river to the Ethiopian border, farmers told AFP reporters the water they need is not rising from the riverbanks nor falling from the sky.
The UN’s food and agriculture organization says the season “is unfolding under heightened climate risk, driven by El Nino conditions” including delayed and below average rains, and long and frequent dry spells.
Farmers say it is one of the hardest seasons in recent memory, but climate research shows it will not be the last.
– Pray for rain –
Climate and hydrology scientist Elfatih Eltahir, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has studied the link between El Nino and the Nile for thirty years.
His research has shown El Nino is closely associated with low Nile flow and, when it begins in late spring, as it did this year, brings a high probability of drought in southeastern Sudan and northwestern Ethiopia, where the Blue Nile originates.
Water levels at the reservoir behind Ethiopia’s massive Grand Renaissance dam on the Blue Nile, which contributes the majority of water feeding the Nile river, was six meters lower this July compared to the same month last year, according to data from Germany’s University of Tubingen.
But Eltahir warns “more transparency and cooperation” are also needed between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over Addis Ababa’s management of the reservoir, especially as climate change brings more extreme floods and droughts.
This summer, the Blue Nile basin has already seen as little as half of its usual rainfall, according to UC Santa Barbara’s Climate Hazards Center, and regional forecasts predict below average rainfall for the rest of the rainy season.
Farmers in Gedaref state on the Ethiopian border, where the bulk of Sudan’s staple crops such as sorghum and sesame are planted, are already feeling it.
When August rolled in and their usually‑verdant fields were still a dull brown, frustrated farmers gathered behind local imams for rain‑invoking prayers.
“We need these rains for our crops and our livestock, and they’re late,” local farmer Abdelmajid Hussein told AFP after a prayer.
Agriculture minister Ismat Qurashi told AFP farmers are being told to choose drought‑resistant crops and to delay planting.
Moussa Yaacoub, 75, has planted sesame for decades, including three wartime growing seasons each harder than the last.
Now, standing sentinel over the cracked earth, he wonders if he will make it through the next, with his land now costing him “four times as much to plant.”
– Can’t catch a break –
Downstream, in Sudan’s other breadbasket state Al‑Jazira, Hassan Ahmed stares out at the farm that has been in his family for 100 years.
When Ahmed returned to it last year, after the army recaptured Al‑Jazira from the Rapid Support Forces, he found it had been ransacked by looting paramilitaries, and his trees stood wilting in the sun.
He and his sons got to work bringing it back to life, but this year have struggled anew.
“I’m 63 and I have never seen the Nile this low in August,” he told AFP. “By now we should have taken our water pump out because the flood had drenched the soil several meters in.”
Buffeted by a perfect storm — low water, soaring costs and a crippled market — many farmers have abandoned their lands, at a time when 65 percent of Sudan’s vast arable land is already out of commission.
Some farmers, hopeful at the start of the season, “planted their crops but then left them to die because it just wasn’t worth the harvest,” young farmer Mohamed Al‑Tijani told AFP near Khartoum.
Sudan imports all of its fuel and most of its fertilizer, costs for which have multiplied by up to five this year as a result of war in the Gulf.
Veteran farmer Ahmed Othman is one of many who know he won’t break even in the market, already devastated with most of the country out of work.
“But at least I can say I’m working at all,” he told AFP, back bent from decades of toiling in the fields.

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\n GADAREF, Sudan: Along bone‑dry riverbanks of the Nile, farmers struggle to secure water for their crops. Others gather to pray for rain over cracked earth.
\n Across the nation, farmland capable of feeding the world’s largest hunger crisis multiple times over remains fallow, as weary farmers once again confront the impact of distant conflicts.\n First came war between the Sudanese armed forces and rival paramilitary groups, which since April 2023 has claimed more than 200,000 lives and pushed nearly 20 million people into severe hunger emergencies.
\n Suddenly, a separate geopolitical clash between Iran and the United States disrupted fuel and fertilizer shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, driving up costs.\n And finally, the powerful El Nino climate pattern intensifying in the Pacific Ocean—affecting winds and precipitation globally—has postponed critical rains, allowing water levels in the lifeline river to plummet sharply.
\n Just south of the capital Khartoum, farmer Al‑Tigani Fadlallah points to an island that should not exist.
<strong>- Pray for rain</strong> “The water normally rises around July, yet you can see it already now,” he told AFP this month, spotting the baked sandbank as a dire warning for his parched fields.
\n From northern fields near Egypt along the Nile to the Ethiopian border, farmers told AFP that neither the riverbanks nor the skies deliver sufficient moisture.
\n The UN Food and Agriculture Organization characterizes the season as unfolding under heightened climate risks driven by El Nino, featuring delayed and below‑average rainfall and prolonged dry periods.<\n Farmers regard this as the harshest season in many years, yet climate modeling indicates more such cycles ahead.
\n <strong>- Pray for rain</strong>\n Climate and hydrology scientist Elfatih Eltahir, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has investigated the El Nino–Nile connection for thirty years.
\n His research establishes a clear link between El Nino and reduced Nile flow, noting that its onset in late spring confers a high chance of drought in southeastern Sudan and northwestern Ethiopia, where the Blue Nile originates.
\n Water levels at the reservoir behind Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile—providing the majority of watershed flow—were six metres lower this July compared with the same month last year, per German University of Tubingen data.
\n Nevertheless, Eltahir stresses that “greater transparency and collaboration” are vital among Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan regarding Addis Ababa’s reservoir operations, especially as climate change escalates both extreme floods and droughts.
\n This summer, the Blue Nile basin has recorded as little as half its typical rainfall, and regional forecasts anticipate continued below‑average departures for the remainder of the rainy period.
\n On the Ethiopian side of the border, where the bulk of Sudan’s principal cereals—sorghum and sesame—are grown, impacts are already evident.
\n When August arrived and fields ordinarily bright green remained dull brown, frustrated growers convened with local imams for rain‑invoking gatherings.
"We need these rains for our crops and livestock, and they come too late," said Abdelmajid Hussein, a farmer during the ceremony.
\n Agriculture Minister Ismat Qurashi stated that farmers are being advised to adopt drought‑resistant varieties and postpone planting schedules.
\n Moussa Yaacoub, 75, has cultivated sesame for decades, including three successive wartime harvests that grew increasingly difficult.
Standing watchful over the cracked terrain, he questions whether he can endure another cycle, his land now demanding “four times the effort to replant.”
\n <strong>- Can't catch a break</strong>\n Downstream, in Sudan’s other agrarian hub Al‑Jazira, Hassan Ahmed gazes upon a family‑owned plot handed down for a century.
\n After the military recaptured Al‑Jazira from paramilitary forces last year, Ahman discovered the site had been looted and trees wilting beneath the heat.
With his sons he revived the land, but this season added renewed hardship.
"I am sixty‑three years old and have never seen the Nile this low in August," he told AFP. "By now the irrigation pump should have been removed because the flood saturated the soil several metres deep."
\n Burdened by chronic water scarcity, soaring procurement expenses, and a faltering market, many cultivators have deserted their fields—at a moment when 65 percent of Sudan’s arable land is already non‑functional.
Some who began hopefully saw their seedlings wilt despite sowing, concluding the season unprofitable.
\n Sudan relies on imported petroleum and the majority of its fertilizer, with prices jumping up to fivefold this year amid Gulf conflict.
– Can&#x201410_catch_a_break_-\n\n

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