In the sun-whipped regions of Somalia, where the ground rarely sees rain, date palm trees have become indispensable allies for rural folks. They’re not just green life in the dry, they’re a lifeline, putting food on tables and coins in pockets. It’s been nearly ten years since the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) rolled out its initiative to boost these trusty trees here, and guess what? They’re still standing strong against climate’s curveballs, offering a smidgen of stability where it’s needed most. CREDIT/ ICRC
Fast forward to Mogadishu (AX) — the scene is vastly different from a decade ago, following the ICRC’s significant gesture of handing out date palm saplings by the thousands across Somalia. What’s the verdict today? Through the relentless embrace of droughts, locust parties, and ongoing conflicts, these tough trees have been game-changers for rural life. They’ve become bastions of hope and revenue, anchoring communities persisting in dicey times.
Rolling out back in 2015, the ICRC project didn’t hold back—it shared over 40,000 young date palms across the hardest-hit areas of Sanaag, Nugaal, Bari, Mudug, and Sool. The results? Ask Mohamud Abdi down in Karin village of Bari; he’ll tell you about the old palm days when harvests barely went past 30 kilograms per tree. These days? They’re off the charts, providing a steady moneymaking avenue. ‘The new palms are a godsend’, Mohamud remarks.
For the rural folks of Somalia, agriculture isn’t just a livelihood, but a full-blown bare-knuckle battle for existence. Climate woes like lengthy dry seasons, ruinous floods, and locusts swooping in unabashed compound their troubles. While conflict forces people from their homes, climate chaos tightens its grip, nudging farmers towards innovative survival tactics for their crops and a continued livelihood. Enter the date palm—rival-less in resilience. They shrug off water scarcity with desert-climate ease and are the only ones standing, even when locust invasions reduce other crops to zilch.
The hardiness of date palms caters to a desperate Somali need: as of now, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reports a staggering 3.6 million people teetering on the edge of hunger. With gloomy forecasts hinting at a lean Deyr rainy season, resource pressures are set to rise. In this cloudy scenario, the date palms’ offer isn’t just reliable sustenance; they’re banks of security and income that families lean on.
Consider Abass Omar, a patriarch of 16 in Barookhle, Bari. For him, date palms are akin to camels—irreplaceable and highly rewarding. He quips, ‘Dates outshine other crops in value, steady and sure, even when others flop.’ Somali-grown dates are in high demand, fetching about $3 per kilogram, which is a steal compared to pricier imports.
Seeing these dates’ potential, the ICRC has notched up its game plan by ushering in high-tech farming tricks. Think drip irrigation and solar gizmos to outsmart water shortages. ‘Shaving down cultivation plots while betting on high-value crops like dates is the savvy move,’ shares Marie Del Marmol, chief of ICRC’s agricultural strategies in Somalia. Regions hard-hit by drought are flipping the script through methods like cooperative farming and trickle irrigation, redefining resilience and autonomy.
Take Jibagale village, near Garowe. Farmers such as Hassan Yusuf hold hope that solar-driven irrigation won’t be far off. ‘Water’s the real beast,’ Hassan laments. ‘Solar trickle tech would flip our world.’ His neighbor, Nadhifo Yussuf, shares this could usher in a bigger, brighter farming future, hinging on water wisely managed.
ICRC’s crew stands vigilant, overseeing solar irrigation panels on Somali soil. These pioneering technologies are proving pivotal in water-scarce regions, feeding life into date palms and crops alike, amid bone-dry conditions. CREDIT/ ICRC
Edited by: Ali Musa
alimusa@axadletimes.com
Axadle international–Monitoring
