{"id":3236,"date":"2019-06-27T22:09:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T22:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/?p=3236"},"modified":"2019-06-29T08:13:25","modified_gmt":"2019-06-29T08:13:25","slug":"rain-fed-farmers-in-middle-shabelle-turn-to-irrigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/2019\/06\/27\/rain-fed-farmers-in-middle-shabelle-turn-to-irrigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Rain-fed farmers in Middle Shabelle turn to irrigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

JOWHAR (SoOHA) –<\/strong> Farmers in five villages in southern Somalia\u2019s Middle\u00a0<\/span>Shabelle<\/span>\u00a0region have raised community funds to construct an irrigation canal to reduce their reliance on unpredictable rainfall.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adan Omar in\u00a0<\/span>Qafow<\/span>\u00a0village, near\u00a0<\/span>Jowhar<\/span>, told Radio Ergo he was irrigating his two-hectare farm for the first time with water channeled from the river\u00a0<\/span>Shabelle<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI\u00a0<\/span>normally<\/span>\u00a0depend on the rain which\u00a0<\/span>has been\u00a0<\/span>very erratic<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0but now I can plant my crops during rainy and dry seasons because we have water from the river. The only challenge\u00a0<\/span>will come if<\/span>\u00a0the river dries up,\u201d a cheerful Adan<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0whose\u00a0<\/span>four\u00a0<\/span>previous harvests failed\u00a0<\/span>due to inadequate rainfall,\u00a0<\/span>told Radio Ergo.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The farmers hope the\u00a0<\/span>irrigation project\u00a0<\/span>will\u00a0<\/span>cushion them\u00a0<\/span>against the\u00a0<\/span>chronic water shortages\u00a0<\/span>people have been suffering\u00a0<\/span>in the area.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Ap<\/span>art from irrigation<\/span>\u00a0for the farms<\/span>, the canal\u00a0<\/span>has\u00a0<\/span>also helped the village\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>access water for their livestock and\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>domestic use<\/span>. There is adequate water and we hope to get\u00a0<\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>good harvest at\u00a0<\/span>the end of the season,\u201d<\/span>\u00a0said Adan<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Adan\u00a0<\/span>contributed\u00a0<\/span>Sh<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0So<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a03.2<\/span>m\u00a0<\/span>(<\/span>$<\/span>134)\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>construction of the canal<\/span>. The five villages of\u00a0<\/span>Qa<\/span>fow<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Bulo<\/span>-Haji,\u00a0<\/span>Gumeys<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Doon-wiraale<\/span>, El-Nur, and\u00a0<\/span>Shimbirow<\/span>\u00a0collectively raised\u00a0<\/span>$108,<\/span>800.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The 13 k<\/span>m<\/span>\u00a0long canal is provi<\/span>di<\/span>ng irrigation for around\u00a0<\/span>1,700 hectares of land.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Around\u00a0<\/span>320 farmers<\/span>\u00a0in the<\/span>se<\/span>\u00a0villages\u00a0<\/span>have started growing maize<\/span>, millet and\u00a0<\/span>various<\/span>vegetable<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0using irrigation<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shine Haji Abdullahi<\/span>\u00a0sits on the seven-member\u00a0<\/span>local\u00a0<\/span>committee<\/span>\u00a0that raised the funds and\u00a0<\/span>managed the project<\/span>. He said i<\/span>t took more than a year to raise the\u00a0<\/span>money\u00a0<\/span>needed. E<\/span>very<\/span>\u00a0f<\/span>armer paid\u00a0<\/span>$<\/span>66.5 dollars\u00a0<\/span>for each hectare they own<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>E<\/span>xcavator<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0and tractors were hired\u00a0<\/span>for the construction<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe hired\u00a0<\/span>the tractors at\u00a0<\/span>So\u00a0<\/span>Sh<\/span>\u00a01100,000 (<\/span>$<\/span>45)<\/span>\u00a0an hour<\/span>. We also employed casual workers\u00a0<\/span>for the construction,\u201d<\/span>\u00a0he explained.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>With the money raised they\u00a0<\/span>b<\/span>ought five\u00a0<\/span>motorised<\/span>\u00a0pumps to draw<\/span>\u00a0water from the canal.<\/span>The\u00a0<\/span>pumps<\/span>\u00a0use 120\u00a0<\/span>litres<\/span>\u00a0of fuel\u00a0<\/span>per day to distribute water among the farms.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0The f<\/span>armers<\/span>\u00a0contribute\u00a0<\/span>Sh<\/span>\u00a0So\u00a0<\/span>1<\/span>.4 m<\/span>\u00a0(<\/span>$<\/span>58<\/span>) daily to buy\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>diesel<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Abdullahi Ibrahim\u00a0<\/span>is growing\u00a0<\/span>maize, soya beans and vegetables on his farm<\/span>\u00a0and is pleased\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span>\u00a0the irrigation initiative, hoping to recover after some bad years of drought.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>We get water once every five days.\u00a0<\/span>During t<\/span>hat time, the water\u00a0<\/span>runs<\/span>\u00a0continuous<\/span>ly for eight hours and<\/span>\u00a0we usually irrigate\u00a0<\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>farms at night<\/span>,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>I commend this pro<\/span>ject<\/span>\u00a0because\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>crops on non-irrigated farms\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>already started d<\/span>r<\/span>ying<\/span>\u00a0up<\/span>\u00a0at this\u00a0<\/span>time,\u201d<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0added.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Source: Radio Ergo<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JOWHAR (SoOHA) – Farmers in five villages in southern Somalia\u2019s Middle\u00a0Shabelle\u00a0region have raised community funds to construct an irrigation canal to reduce their reliance on unpredictable rainfall.\u00a0 Adan Omar in\u00a0Qafow\u00a0village, near\u00a0Jowhar, told Radio Ergo he was irrigating his two-hectare farm for the first time with water channeled from the river\u00a0Shabelle.\u00a0 \u00a0\u201cI\u00a0normally\u00a0depend on the rain which\u00a0has …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-food-security-cluster","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t