‘Drought is the enemy’: The communities fighting hunger in Somaliland

AINABO, Somaliland —  At 10 a.m. it is already hot on Keyse Aden Mohamed’s family farm in Wadamogo village, Ainabo district, northern Somaliland. It is late July, and with the long rains already gone, a recently dried-up water pan — a small reservoir that collects surface runoff water — sits empty in the middle of the farm.

Acacia trees and a dozen other tropical indigenous trees dot the expansive farmland. It would pass for a lush rangeland if not for the uniformity of the pale green local gargaro grass that is grown and used as fodder — nutrient-rich hay for animals to eat in addition to grazing. Three men in a crouched position, sickle in hand, grab tufts of grass, cut away, stack it on a pile, take two shuffling steps, and repeat. Huge mounds of cut grass are heaped near the exit of the farm, evidence of the men’s labor.

Mohamed and other villagers in the area are taking advantage of an initiative from the Food and Agriculture Organization to boost local fodder production through new “livestock development hubs” providing the infrastructure to do so. The aim is to ensure that the community’s livestock — a vital part of the local economy and food security — can survive droughts and that families can stay in the area, rather than having to travel far to find pasture for their animals.