Working Together for a Better Future

As the drought in Somalia intensified and the farmlands dried up, Abdullahi Ibrahim Mohamed watched many of his neighbors in the village of Salbuuy leave to find help. Like most of the communities in Baidoa District, Abudullahi’s village was dependent on small-scale farming and livestock herding. The 4-year drought in Somalia hit Baidoa particularly hard, devastating farmland and killing off herds. Thousands of farmers, like Abdullahi, who rely on the land for survival have been forced to leave to find food and water for their families.

“Most of my neighbors moved to IDP camps located in Baidoa’s capital because they had lost everything, but my family and a few others were determined to stay in the village,” said Abdullahi.

Before the rain stopped falling 4 years ago, Abdullahi had a modest farm with more than 50 animals. Abdullahi’s small farming community had benefited from a water point in 2017 which fed a small irrigation system on Abdullahi’s land. This resource gave Abdullahi the ability to stay on his land a little longer. But the current drought conditions only got worse. His family was hungry and Abdullahi was worried about the health of his 6 children. He was forced to sell his surviving livestock, but that was a short term measure.

Through a project co-funded by USAID and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Building Resilient Communities in Somalia (BRCiS) Consortium provides a life-saving package of interventions including nutrition and health support, cash transfers, and access to water.  USAID and the BRCiS project helped Abdullahi and other farmers set up the farming cooperative, which provides a forum for training and additional social networks to help build resilience. USAID’s funding is part of the Ukraine Supplemental, which will reach more than 1.5 million Somalis, like Abdullahi, who are impacted by food insecurity. 

The cooperatives were formed to provide members a platform to share knowledge, access and negotiate optimal prices for their agricultural produce, and establish formal engagement with authorities and other private entities to secure favorable deals on farm deals. USAID collaborated with the Centre for Social and Economic Transformation, a renowned Somali agricultural institution to provide the cooperatives with retraining on climate-smart agricultural practices and improved animal husbandry techniques. USAID also provided essential farming tools and certified seedlings for crops like tomatoes, carrots, onions, and spinach. The Somali Ministry of Agriculture also provides technical support for the cooperatives. 

"The training has greatly enhanced my knowledge and skills in crop and animal husbandry. My new skills have proven invaluable in ensuring a steady supply of food for my household, particularly with the support of the village water points," said Abdullahi.

Through these cooperatives, local farmers adopted improved farming techniques, access to farming resources like seeds, and shared market information. The cooperatives have enhanced market access by collectively marketing their produce, negotiating prices through bulk purchasing, resulting in improved bargaining power and overall better prices and increased incomes for members of the cooperative. 

USAID recognizes that to build long term resilience capacities at the individual, household, community, and system level interventions there needs to be integrated multi-faceted support. These integrated interventions provided Abdullahi's household with a range of coping strategies and support. Abdullahi was also selected to receive beekeeping training and equipment. He was able to set up his own apiary to sell honey and increase his income. To help the family deal with the urgent needs caused by the drought crisis,  Abdullahi also received a small 3 month cash transfer. 

Abdullahi’s story highlights the importance of integrated and complementary interventions (access to lifesaving food and water, training and supplies, ) to respond to urgent household needs while building skill sets to help rebuild their lives and deal with future shocks. He is the vice chair of the Salbuuy Farming Cooperative, and is filled with enthusiasm for the future. "From the vegetables cultivated on my farm, I am able to provide for my household's needs and generate income through sales. This income has been instrumental in various aspects, including paying school fees for my four children who are attending school," says Abdullahi.