{"id":3601,"date":"2019-10-02T10:52:39","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T10:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/?p=3601"},"modified":"2019-10-02T11:03:37","modified_gmt":"2019-10-02T11:03:37","slug":"farms-in-somaliland-stripped-bare-by-locusts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sooha.org\/en\/2019\/10\/02\/farms-in-somaliland-stripped-bare-by-locusts\/","title":{"rendered":"Farms in Somaliland stripped bare by locusts"},"content":{"rendered":"

HARGEISA (SoOHA) –<\/strong> Dozens of farm<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0in Somaliland\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Awdal<\/span>\u00a0region have been invaded by locusts<\/span>, leaving farmers wondering how they will recoup their losses.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The farmer who spoke to Radio Ergo in\u00a0<\/span>Harirad<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Halimale<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Maralay<\/span>, El-<\/span>Bahay<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Qoqol<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Arorsel<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>Wears<\/span>\u00a0villages<\/span>\u00a0said their<\/span>\u00a0crops\u00a0<\/span>of\u00a0<\/span>tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkins<\/span>, onions, and watermelons<\/span>\u00a0had been\u00a0<\/span>totally\u00a0<\/span>de<\/span>stroyed by the locusts<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Suleiman Hassan Said<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the chairperson of\u00a0<\/span>Halimale<\/span>\u00a0f<\/span>armers\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>ssociation<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0said<\/span>\u00a0his 27-hectare<\/span>\u00a0farm had\u00a0<\/span>been<\/span>\u00a0stripped<\/span>\u00a0clean by the swarm of locusts<\/span>\u00a0that arrived in the area last<\/span>\u00a0month.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>There is nothing to stop the locust<\/span>s in their<\/span>\u00a0early sta<\/span>g<\/span>e<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>It is sometimes possible to minimize<\/span>\u00a0the destruction but this one\u00a0<\/span>cannot even\u00a0<\/span>be\u00a0<\/span>scared away by beating tins,\u201d said\u00a0<\/span>Suleman<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0who confirmed that 20 farms in his village<\/span>\u00a0had been affected<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sule<\/span>i<\/span>man\u00a0<\/span>and other farmers had been expecting to harvest\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>October<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0They now face huge losses.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was expecting\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>get something\u00a0<\/span>like<\/span>\u00a0$4<\/span>,<\/span>000 from the watermelon<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0alone<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0I have been working on the farm\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>three consecutive month<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0and invested a lot of money<\/span>!<\/span>\u201d he\u00a0<\/span>complained<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another farmer in\u00a0<\/span>Halimale<\/span>\u00a0saw the locusts swarming in<\/span>\u00a0and felt a foreboding of difficult times ahead<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy the time<\/span>\u00a0the swa<\/span>r<\/span>m of\u00a0<\/span>locust<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0was passing over my head,\u00a0<\/span>it was<\/span>\u00a0like I was under the\u00a0<\/span>shade, I could not see the sun,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>You can guess\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>when the crops are harvested, people benefit\u00a0<\/span>from\u00a0<\/span>them in different way<\/span>s<\/span>. S<\/span>ome use the maize stalk<\/span>s to feed<\/span>\u00a0to cattle and camels,\u00a0<\/span>and the\u00a0<\/span>people use the food for six months,\u00a0<\/span>but now it is difficult to get\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>ny<\/span>\u00a0harvest,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Abdi\u00a0<\/span>Suldan<\/span>\u00a0from the same village\u00a0<\/span>set fire to o<\/span>ld tires<\/span>\u00a0on<\/span>\u00a0his farm\u00a0<\/span>to try to ward off the swarming locusts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The invasion\u00a0<\/span>by\u00a0<\/span>the locust<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0beg<\/span>a<\/span>n on 12<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0September<\/span>. They<\/span>\u00a0destroyed the only one\u00a0<\/span>hectare<\/span>\u00a0I\u00a0<\/span>had\u00a0<\/span>planted.\u00a0<\/span>When we s<\/span>tarted burning tires<\/span>\u00a0on the farm it was already too late<\/span>\u00a0because\u00a0<\/span>they had\u00a0<\/span>left nothin<\/span>g behind,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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

HARGEISA (SoOHA) – Dozens of farms\u00a0in Somaliland\u2019s\u00a0Awdal\u00a0region have been invaded by locusts, leaving farmers wondering how they will recoup their losses.\u00a0\u00a0 The farmer who spoke to Radio Ergo in\u00a0Harirad,\u00a0Halimale,\u00a0Maralay, El-Bahay,\u00a0Qoqol,\u00a0Arorsel,\u00a0and\u00a0Wears\u00a0villages\u00a0said their\u00a0crops\u00a0of\u00a0tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkins, onions, and watermelons\u00a0had been\u00a0totally\u00a0destroyed by the locusts.\u00a0\u00a0 Suleiman Hassan Said,\u00a0the chairperson of\u00a0Halimale\u00a0farmers\u00a0association,\u00a0said\u00a0his 27-hectare\u00a0farm had\u00a0been\u00a0stripped\u00a0clean by the swarm of locusts\u00a0that arrived in the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3601","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