(ERGO) – Self-taught Somali farmer, Abdullahi Ahmed Hassan, was about to abandon his land in the dry Guriel district of Galgadud before a solar powered water installation saved him from ruin.
On 8 February, Abdullahi, 28, harvested maize, sorghum, tomatoes, peppers, and grass for livestock fodder after being able to access free water from the new well in Qaydar village.
It was the first time in two years that his crops had succeeded and he made a profit of $850.
“Water was extremely scarce but now we have no worries about water. Solar panels power the pump to draw water from the well and we can store it to use as we need it,” he said with relief.
This father of four had accumulated a debt of $340 on food he had bought on credit for his family. He has just paid off $200 and hopes to clear the rest after his next harvest.
Lack of water, with consecutive failed rainy seasons experienced in this drought-hit region, had been his primary challenge.
“We were buying 50 jerry cans of water costing $50 to $60 that only lasted less than a month, so most of our money went on water,” he said.
Abdullahi graduated with a degree in management and administration from a university in Guriel in 2018 and went into farming after failing to find employment. He spent a year studying farming on the internet and his family raised $1,600 for him to start his farm.
Last year, he relied on $600 from his brother to buy water, seeds, and pay his two workers. Now, with access to water, for the first time he can plan to settle his debts and make a sustainable living from his land.
Three solar powered well installations were constructed by Solar Energy Consultant and Construction Company (SECCO) with funds from IOM, in Qaydar, Lanle, and Toon villages in Guriel benefiting many farmers and herders in this semi-arid area.
In Toon, Ahmed Mohamed Abdalle, 56, has been able to revive his failing 1.5 hectare farm and his livestock thanks to access to water.
“You could say the well has created a new life for us,” he told Radio Ergo. “Now we don’t face the same challenges with water, we have hope in our farms and our crops are growing well.”
Ahmed harvested in February, earning $600, and is no longer worried about food shortage for his family. He hopes to harvest watermelons, maize, beans, and grass for livestock soon.
He is relieved that the 85 goats surviving from his former herd of 230 also stand a chance of recovery.
“The farm is big so we plant food crops in some parts and grow grass for animal fodder in other parts, which really helps in the drought,” he said.
He had planted three times in the last two years and lost more than $1,000 due to the drought and lack of access to water. He had been spending $4-5 a week buying water for his family of seven children.
The chairman of SECCO, Abdi Iman Sharmake, said the wells would contribute towards enabling many drought-hit farmers and pastoralists in Guriel to overcome the adverse effects of the climate crisis. Solar energy is a cheap and viable source of energy for such arid and semi-arid areas. Each solar well installation cost $70,000.
