Most regions of Somalia have been affected by the persistent drought which has resulted in increased food insecurity, acute water scarcity, and severe malnutrition, particularly among children under the age of five. According to the UNOCHA Somalia Drought Situation Report of October 2022, approximately 1.8 Million children will face the burden of acute malnutrition by July 2023.
As most of Somalia is arid or semi-arid, there is a widespread belief that practicing agriculture is unsustainable. This perception is gradually changing, with the successful introduction of backyard kitchen garden farming of fruits and vegetables in Dalsan and Libaxsexey villages in the Abudwak region of Somalia. The project was implemented by Nomadic Assistance for Peace and Development (NAPAD) in partnership with Terre des Hommes (TDH) with funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ-Germany).
Through this project, the beneficiaries who were women were equipped with knowledge on land preparation of their backyard kitchen gardens, planting of the vegetable and fruit seeds and tending to their backyard kitchen garden as well as harvesting and post-harvest processing. The beneficiaries were provided with farming inputs such as seeds and tools such as machetes, hoes, and fork spades to aid them in land preparation. The kitchen gardens provide an inexpensive and regular source of fresh fruits and vegetables for their families.
Fresh leafy vegetables are a vital source of vitamins and minerals which are essential in the fight against malnutrition and other diseases, especially in children. The project also seeks to strengthen the resilience of these pastoralist communities to have alternative food sources and to become more food secure and resilient to the effects of climate change.
Kitchen Garden Farming for Keyf Hussein
Keyf Hussein, 37, lives in Dalsan village with her family of 10 members. With no formal skills and no income, she has struggled to provide for her family. Keyf is one of the beneficiaries of this project together with 50 other women.
“The training has given us women the confidence to step out and start setting up the kitchen gardens,” says Mama Keyf “I can now properly prepare my land, plant my seeds and seedlings, water them, and be confident that I will get good produce.”
Through mama Keyf’s Kitchen garden she has been able to provide enough nutritious vegetables and fruits for her family. She has planted Capsicum, Kale, Spinach, Hot pepper, and Watermelons in her garden. She uses water from the Dalsan Village borehole to water them every morning and in the evening.
“Thanks to the training and continuous monitoring from the NAPAD team, we can manage our kitchen gardens and now get fruits and vegetables from them,” reports Mama Keyf,”My children love having the watermelons,”
During a monitoring visit in October 2022, NAPAD’s livelihood officers found mama Keyf happily harvesting her produce from her kitchen garden. She reported that most of the produce is consumed by her household while any surplus vegetables or fruits she shares with her neighbours.
“We are very grateful to NAPAD for introducing us to this kind of farming. In the future, I hope to grow even more crops and sell them at the market in Abudwak town,” Appreciated Keyf Hussein