After decades of civil war and millions of deaths, thousands of people took to the streets of South Sudan on July 9, 2011, to celebrate their first day as an independent nation.

But while the newly christened citizens were jubilant, some moved to tears, the celebration offered a sharp contrast to the challenges facing them. The country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates and one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. With high levels of illiteracy, a weak economy, endemic malaria and a population desirous of rapid change, South Sudan is facing a number of hurdles in its quest for prosperity.

“The country is trying to [set] up a government, and we’re trying to help them do it,” says Kevin Mullally, South Sudan mission director for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID. The government agency is tasked with administering civil aid around the world. “The Obama administration has made food security one of their primary objectives.”

USAID thinks that agriculture is the key to improving and diversifying South Sudan’s economy and awarded a $1.47 million grant to four universities last March to develop an agricultural plan to implement in the new country. Virginia State University and Virginia Tech have partnered to help the University of Juba and the Catholic University of Sudan develop a curriculum to teach South Sudanese farmers through community outreach.

“VSU has a unique talent that we can bring to the table,” says Dr. Wondi Mersie, associate dean and director of research of VSU’s School of Agriculture. Mersie, an Ethiopian-born researcher, says that VSU has done a lot of research on sorghum and goats. Sorghum, a crop native to the area, can be used by the South Sudanese for food, fodder and even housing in some areas. Goats are important for the region because they require few resources to breed and produce milk.

“Since they can be used for both meat and dairy, goats come in very handy,” Mersie says.