EU-funded agriculture project lifting up farmers in Somalia

Helping to power the change – and the resilience of hundreds of smallholder farmers like Warsame – is a World Food Programme (WFP)-supported project aimed at boosting agriculture and incomes

Known as Kobciye, the initiative provides 3,000 farmers in three Somali states – Puntland, Jubaland, Galmudug – equipment such as tractors, solar-powered water pump systems and fencing. In partnership with the Government of Somalia, it gives them the tools to better cope with climate challenges, opens up new livelihood opportunities such as food processing and improves their access to markets.

Agriculture is gaining ground even in the driest parts of the country – like semi-arid Puntland, which faces other nature-based threats, from locust infestations to flash floods. In the central Somali region of Galmudug, with the same dry conditions as Puntland, the Kobciye project gives communities access to water through a broad approach that includes drip irrigation and boreholes, and factors in land use, vegetation and other environmental concerns.

“Through the project, we are not just providing tools and training – we are empowering communities to believe in the potential of their land and their ability to produce food sustainably,” said WFP country director, El-Khidir Daloum. “This shift in mindsets is key to securing a food-secure future for Somalia.”