By Deng Machol [caption id="attachment_91401" align="alignnone" width="1400"] USAID South Sudan Mission Director, Haven Cruz-Hubbard[/caption] Juba - The United States Agency for International Development USAID has signed a four-year contract to help increase resilience through agriculture in 13 counties in South Sudan. The project will be implemented by the Development Alternatives Incorporated – or DAI - a global development company, and targets Kapoeta North and Budi counties in Eastern Equatoria, Akobo, Duk, Pibor, and Uror counties in Jonglei State, Leer, Mayendit, and Panyijar counties in Unity State, Baliet and Ulang counties in Upper Nile State and Jur River and Wau counties in Western Bahr-el Ghazal. The USAID South Sudan Mission Director, Haven Cruz-Hubbard says the projects are designed to benefit some of the poorest, most isolated and least assisted places in South Sudan. “By focusing multi-layered assistance in these severely underdeveloped counties, USAID seeks to build community and household resilience,” the US Embassy said in an emailed statement. “As a result, these communities will be better able to withstand shocks including floods and conflict, and to become more self-sufficient, thereby requiring less emergency assistance,” it said. “With ongoing challenges in South Sudan including severe floods, displacement due to community-level conflict and natural disasters, and the economic impacts of COVID-19 and other economic shocks, building resilience is essential,” Cruz-Hubbard said in the statement. Cruz-Hubbard further said this activity will help households gain skills and create community assets to withstand these shocks without being forced to sell all their assets, and thus help end the vicious cycle of compounding poverty and hunger. South Sudan, which just emerged from the Country's five year old conflict, is now experienced a looming hunger due to the affect of climate change, displaced nearly million people.