©FAO

FAO and the European Union support capacity building and construction of infrastructure to increase productivity and improve access to markets. 

Yaqub Buule Ali is an agriculture extension worker from Jowhar, the capital of Hirshabelle state of Somalia. Travelling by motorcycle to navigate the unpaved roads of rural Somalia, he moves from farm to farm along the Shabelle river, meeting farmers and local cooperative groups along the way to teach them good agricultural practices and farm business management. 

Yaqub, who works for the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, supports local farmers with advice and guidance to improve their productivity and the resilience of their crops to challenges such as droughts and floods, and climate change. 

 "I help farmers by passing on my knowledge to them. I teach them the best ways to cultivate the land and the best ways to harvest," said Yaqub. "The training I provide includes climate-smart agricultural practices and farm business management. I'm helping farmers to harvest at the right time, access markets and sell their produce for the best price possible". 

For the past three years, Yaqub has worked with over 2000 local farmers to improve their agricultural productivity and food security. This was made possible with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation through the "Resilience, Inclusive and Competitive Agriculture Value Chain Development in Southern and Central Regions of Somalia (OUTREACH II)" project. Through this European Union (EU) funded initiative, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) connected smallholder farmers to more competitive value chains and strengthened Government support to rural communities. Through this project, FAO established extension centers in Hirshabelle, Jubaland and South West State and regularly trained extension workers using the facilities provided by the project. Federal and State level Agriculture Ministry staff continue to use these skills obtained through the project to provide agricultural extension services to farmers.

To strengthen local food systems, the OUTREACH II project contributed to developing 15 farmer cooperatives of major crops like maize, sorghum, sesame and bananas into inclusive crop-based value chain associations in the states where it has been implemented. Besides training on climate-smart agricultural practices, the project also provided support such as seeds and farm implementing tools, tractor tilling services and improved water security by rehabilitating water sources and irrigation canals. It created linkages between commercial agricultural product suppliers and farmer cooperatives to improve farmers' market access and competitiveness. The project also developed food quality standards and constructed three agriculture markets, three farmers' advisory centers, one national laboratory, and three regional laboratories for state-level agricultural ministries.

Local food systems in the region have typically been hindered by low productivity, high post-harvest losses, low-quality products, and high vulnerability to climate change. However, working with farmers to strengthen their productivity and access new and better markets can help them meet current and future challenges.

"Rural farming communities are the key to building sustainable food security in Somalia and connecting them with new practices and markets can be a big boost to their productivity and economic development," said FAO's project officer, Mohamed Abukar Hussein.  

OUTREACH II has strengthened Government capacity along the various value chains by training Ministry staff in farm business management, value chain development, and market management. Local people with expertise like Yaqub are best placed to help rural communities prepare for and adapt to the challenges of a future affected by global climate change. "Food production in the area has really improved with the training and infrastructure. More farmers now have better access to the marketplace, and they are benefiting," said Yaqub.