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.
With funding from the ADRA Africa East and Central Division (ECD), ADRA Somalia recently began implementing a Greenhouse Project at the Institute aimed at sustaining agricultural development in Somaliland through training functional farmer groups, improving agricultural productivity through greenhouses and entrepreneurship in farm produce. The Project plans to organize farmers into groups to be strengthened by committees governed by agreements and will target heads of families who do not have reliable sources of income. The farmers will be trained and provided with farm inputs and implements to start greenhouse farming at the centre.
The enterprise development component of the Project is aimed at stimulating market for the farm produce to sustain the Project as an Income Generating Activity (IGA). Farmer groups will be responsible for marketing while ADRA will facilitate trainings in entrepreneurial development.
A wooden greenhouse superstructure has already been set up at the institute. It is anticipated that the project will reach out to about 5,377 indirect beneficiaries upon completion.
