(ERGO) – Ahmed Adan Hassan, who owns 20 hectares of farm in Lafole, southern Somalia’s Hiran region, has stopped farming due to the soaring price of fuel that he needs for his generator.
“We can get seeds, but it is impossible for us to buy fuel at that exorbitant price,” he told Radio Ergo.
Ahmed, who works with a group of other farmers, harvested some maize and tomatoes in February, but the harvest was poor because there was little water available from the river Shabelle.
He is among many farmers in Hiran’s Beletweyne district who have downed their tools since a drum of fuel more than doubled from $120 to $245. Fuel is required for the farm generators that pump water to the fields as well as for tractors.
“The produce from these farms started decreasing from March this year. We have a big challenge. Also there are locusts that finish our farms very quickly and this has made us have to replant again from zero. What else can we do? Nothing. These farms are the only livelihood we have,” he said.
Ahmed has been penniless for the last three months. “We get food on credit from a friend’s shop. I am unable to buy fuel though. My debt stands at $4,000 to $5,000 and we are getting no income from the farm.”
He owes $40 for his children’s education fees at secular and religious schools.
Mounting farmers’ debts
Another farmer in Beletweyne, Macaane Mohamud Daahir owns nine hectares in Jiiqle, four kilometres from town. Despite incurring huge debts, he says he is continuing to farm in the hope of earning some income to keep the family going.
Dahir planted grass on his farm during the harvest that preceded the drought and was able to sell the grass to livestock keepers during the prolonged drought. This kept him and his family afloat.
Agricultural expert, Abdihakim Omar Yussuf, urged farmers to plant crops like watermelons during this period as they consume little water and can withstand the harsh weather.
He also advised farmers to look beyond the current ways of farming and embrace other forms of energy, in particular solar power, to avoid reliance on unaffordable fuel.
Hiran farmers have undergone a raft of challenges including the prolongation of the drought, the drying up of the river which is their primary water source, and plagues of destructive locusts destroying crops and vegetables.
Hundreds of small farmers have abandoned their farms and are now displaced in Beletweyne town without an alternative source of livelihood.
