Halima’s crops are green, in the midst of a drought. ©FAO

Seeing green vegetation and crops in a drought-ravaged environment is unexpected. However, thanks to irrigation facilities at the Shabelle River in Godirey Kebele, Gode Woreda, Somali region, Fatouma Umar’s maize and vegetable fields are green and promise a good harvest.

In 2021, FAO provided Fatouma’s and other 1 300 households in Gode Woreda with crop and vegetable seeds (maize, onions, haricot beans, and tomato), training, and extension support.

Working together in groups, the farmers utilized the irrigation facility provided by the government to direct water to their field.

“This land had been idle for over 20 years. Realizing how close it is to the River and the irrigation facility, we agreed to work together to open the land for cultivation and divide it into individual plots”, said Fatouma.

Although the Somali region was, by February 2022, experiencing a severe drought due to the failure of rains for three consecutive seasons, Fatouma and other farmers were pleased that they ventured into crop farming.

“We are looking forward to harvesting our crops and vegetables to sustain our families,” said Mohammed Affi, 44, a farmer. Mohammed plans to keep some maize for home consumption and sell the rest through the local

Farah Ahmed, also a farmer, appreciated the training and extension support provided by the project. “We learned about planting techniques, weeding, and harvesting. We are applying all the recommended practices”, he said.

FAO partnered with an NGO - Action Against Hunger, and the Somali Region Agriculture and Natural Resources Development Bureau to implement the project between September 2021 and March 2022. The Government of Japan funded the project to a tune of USD 2.5 million.

Contacts

Rachel Nandelenga

Communications Consultants 

[email protected]