©FAO

Mogadishu - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture & Irrigation in South West State recently conducted a training program for 40 female lead farmers from six cooperatives in the Marka district of Somalia. The training, which was funded by the UNDP administered Somalia Multi Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), aimed to equip these farmers with new knowledge and skills to increase productivity, enhance product quality, and promote sustainable agriculture practices.

The trainings included Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) such as soil preparation, crop selection, planting techniques, irrigation, fertilization, pest and disease management, and post-harvest handling. The farmers were also taught new agribusiness management techniques, covering marketing skills, record-keeping, and financial management. Participants learned how to develop business plans, how to set prices for their products, and how to market their products to new customers.

"The training was important for our women farmers because it helped us learn ways to navigate the competitive market," said Isho Cadaani Hassan, one of the farmers who participated in the program. “We learned how to work together as groups and to ease some of the challenges we face. For example, we identified that we could pool together money to share transport and reduce the costs of getting goods to the market," she said.

The  training was part FAO’s ongoing Productive Sectors Development Program (PSDP), implemented in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and International Labour Organization. The PSDP project is designed to help the private and public sectors in Somalia to operate and sustain investments in productive sectors and related infrastructure. This will help to create opportunities and jobs, and to build more resilient agrifood systems that can withstand economic and climate shocks.

“Rural Somali women face many barriers to improved productivity and livelihoods. Reducing those barriers, organising them, building their capacity and improving access to markets can improve their food  security and help them create a buffer against future challenges,” said Ezana Kassa, FAO’s Head of Programme in Somalia.

Empowering the women who work in agriculture is essential to achieving more inclusive and sustainable food systems in Somalia. Women make up the majority of the agricultural workforce in the country, but they often lack access to land, credit, and other resources.

Empowering women like Isho Cadaani with new skills and techniques will not just help their own livelihoods, but also contribute to a more productive economy that’s resilient to the challenges of the future.