YEI, CENTRAL EQUATORIA — October 8, 2026: The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ, has handed over essential garage tools and maintenance equipment to the Yei Crop Training Centre, CTC, to help restore tractor services for farmers in Yei River County.

The support is being provided under the Community-Driven Rural Development, CDRD, project, with the aim of improving land cultivation and food production ahead of the upcoming planting seasons.

The equipment includes an air compressor, mobile diesel welding generator, specialized mechanical toolboxes and personal protective equipment.

GIZ says the tools will enable the CTC garage to carry out faster servicing and field repairs for eight tractors operating across Yei County.

The intervention comes after years of conflict and inadequate maintenance facilities left many tractors in Yei out of service, resulting in delays for farmers preparing their land for cultivation.

Speaking during the handover, Yei CTC Administrator David Amule welcomed the support, saying restoring the tractors is important for farmers to expand their cultivated areas and improve agricultural production.

Meanwhile, the Director of Agriculture at the County Agriculture Department, Isaac Asiki, called for the equipment to be put into immediate use and urged proper care and sustainable management of the tools.

According to GIZ, repairing and returning the tractors to service is expected to benefit at least three-thousand farmers and help bring more than ten-thousand hectares of land into cultivation.

The project says increased land cultivation could contribute to larger harvests, stronger resilience to climate shocks, increased agricultural income and improved livelihoods for farming households.

The CDRD project will also provide training for tractor operators and farmers on the use of agricultural machinery for ploughing, harrowing and sowing.

The project is implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and is co-funded by the European Union and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.