Agriculture is an important economic activity in Somalia/Somaliland not only in terms of meeting the food needs of its population but also for income generation and provision of agricultural labour opportunities. Of the four primary agricultural zones in Somalia, the Northwest parts are high potential areas for crop production. Rainfalls range from 400mm to 600mm per annum. However, the rains are becoming inconsistent and minimal to sufficiently support crops, pasture and browse conditions.
In 2007, ADRA supported Arabsiyo Farmers Training Centre (AFTC) - a farmer training institution based in Borama District of Somaliland—by providing a windmill to facilitate crop irrigation at the centre. The windmill has proved to be very helpful in the intensification and diversification of small holder agriculture at the centre and based on this success, ADRA decided to sustain these subsistence gains by scaling up the initiative.
