Agricultural production is the key determinant of the level of household income and food security in South Sudan. Land is usually commonly owned and total size of land cultivated per household is relatively small and turns in low productivity.

Studies illustrate the importance of a value chain approach, understanding how to contribute to the sector's growth and expansion. In a World Bank (2019) report, looking at the linkages between agriculture and job creation, argues that ''applying a value chain lens to investments in the sector to investments in the sector can contribute to creating direct and indirect and induced labor in the larger food system.''