Somalia: Rehabilitation of irrigation shallow wells is helping farmers to increase their output

Mohamed, 60, lives in Dhanaha village, Puntland, in north-eastern Somalia, with his wife and 13 children.

Mohamed and his family are farmers, but like so many in Puntland and across Somalia, they have suffered from severe water shortages as a result of the prolonged periods of drought. They used to dig their own wells for water, but due to the ever-greater impacts of climate change, these wells have run dry.

“As the drought caused our wells to dry up, we had to travel a long way to find water,” Mohamed explains.

In response to the growing number of farmers in Puntland suffering from severe water shortages, Islamic Relief launched the Community Resilience Enhancement for Drought Integrated Preparedness (CREDIT) project. The project seeks to help farmers build resilience in the face of climate change.

It incorporates both livelihood and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) measures, targeting the most vulnerable people in the Bari and Sanaag regions. More than 45,000 people have benefitted so far.

The project’s overall purpose is to improve rural food security and access to water. In Mohamed’s village of Dhanaha, Islamic Relief helped to construct a solar-powered shallow well and build a pipeline expansion. Mohamed is now able to access enough clean water to irrigate his farm and produce healthy crops.

As a result of the CREDIT project, Mohamed’s family’s lives have improved. Mohamed now sells crops from his farm to other cities in Puntland’s Sanaag district, earning him enough money to feed his family.

“The project has had a positive impact on my life. I was suffering from a drought that had decimated my land and livelihood. I had no water, crops, income or hope. I was desperate and helpless.