Gabay Yussuf, a mother of eight (four girls and four boys) in Busle village, Dollow district, Gedo region, Somalia, has long faced the harsh realities of farming in an unpredictable climate. Poor soil, pests, and disease, and lack of enough water often left her farm producing barely enough to feed her family, while seasonal droughts and flash floods destroyed what little she could grow. Without access to quality seeds, essential inputs, or sustainable farming training, the cycle of low yields and food insecurity seemed endless.
Gabay’s story reflects the broader reality for many farming communities in Somalia, who face unpredictable rains, prolonged droughts, displacement, resource-based conflicts, and rising costs. These challenges limit access to resilient farming practices, reduce harvests, and deepen food insecurity, threatening both household nutrition and livelihoods. Yet with targeted support, families like Gabay’s can transform their farms and improve harvests, hence strengthening their resilience.
Interventions
Through the Sustainable Riverine Agriculture Project, implemented by NAPAD in partnership with Trocaire and funded by Irish Aid, Gabay and 150 other farmers received drought-resistant seeds, including maize, cowpeas, sorghum, watermelon, and coriander, alongside essential farm tools. They also participated in hands-on agroecology training on eco-friendly farming techniques, including soil fertility management such as composting, mulching, cover cropping, crop rotation, intercropping, and the preparation of biopesticides and organic fertilizers.
Impacts
Gabay shares that her farm productivity has increased gradually, improving food availability and reducing her family’s vulnerability. Where she once harvested just 4–5 sacks of maize, she now harvests 14 sacks from the same land using lower-cost inputs. Her adoption of agroecological practices continues to transform how she manages her farm. These changes have increased her maize yields and improved the productivity of other crops on her farm, strengthening her household’s food security and resilience.
“We’ve learned how to handle pests, crop diseases, and even make our own organic fertilizer, problems that used to keep our harvests so low,” Gabay explained
Beyond her own farm, Gabay and her daughter, Isnina Ismail, are sharing what they learned with neighbours who were not part of the training. This knowledge-sharing is helping more local farmers adopt eco-friendly practices, increasing yields across their farms and strengthening collective resilience. Through this process, Gabay has grown in confidence and leadership, becoming a role model for sustainable farming in her village.