How the European Union-funded canal rehabilitation work in southern Somalia helped farmers overcome water shortages.
FAO
Many farmers in southern Somalia’s Marka district rely on rainwater for farming, despite living close to the Shabelle River, as they had no means for irrigation.
This left them vulnerable to drought and meant they had to leave farming during dry seasons leading to serious food insecurity.Fadumo Bashir, a farmer in Buufow, Marka district in southern Somalia and a single mother of six, had struggled to water her farm during droughts.
“We always used to wait for rain. That was the only way we could water our farms. We had the river, but we had no means or resources to tap its water for irrigation,” she said. “Now, with the construction of the canals, we have enough water diverted to our farms.”
The ProResilience Action (ProAct) project also promoted better access to markets through the rehabilitation of bridges and walkways across waterways.
FAO
“If we want to transport our produce, vehicles can now access all our farmlands thanks to the good work FAO and the European Union have done for us,” she added.
Gedow Arabow, a 68-year-old farmer from Shalanbood owns a small farm, which only used to produce the family’s basic needs due to a lack of access to water. He was a seasonal farmer and the EU-funded rehabilitated irrigation canals have been a game changer.
FAO
“I expect to have a better harvest next time and continue farming throughout the year without waiting for the rainy season” he said.
Gedow also hopes to see an improvement in the access to basic services and markets.
“With this project, FAO has really improved our village-to-village connections by providing safe, year-round access to our farms, markets, schools, health centres and other important amenities,” he said.
The ProAct project consolidated FAO’s and the European Union’s previous work on enhancing livelihoods, resilience and economic development. It started with a survey of the 250 km of irrigation canals to be rehabilitated to serve 30,300 ha of farmland.
FAO
The project also led to the rehabilitation of over 20 structures such as bridges, foot, and vehicles canal crossings, and culverts, and improved links between villages and their services.
The European Union’s ProAct programme has undoubtedly increased the resilience of people’s livelihoods to food crises by addressing key underlying causes of vulnerability in Lower Shabelle.