(ERGO) – Somaliland farmer Mohamud Abib Mohamud’s hopes of reaping a decent harvest from his family’s lifeline two-hectare farm have been dashed by pests and disease that left the crops in ruins.
Mohamud’s family is among 50 devastated families who are dependent on farming in El-bahay, Halimale, and Abase villages in Boon district, in Somaliland’s most westerly region of Salal.
They were hoping to harvest in mid-October but are now just counting losses.
In addition to providing for his own family of five children, Mohamud also takes care of his aging parents, who need special food and medical attention. He is further burdened by the responsibility of supporting his brother’s six children.
Mohamud explained that his family’s survival is tied to the success of his farm in Halimale, where they grow onions, watermelons, and pawpaw.
He is now heavily indebted to a local shop for food supplies he took on credit in September. He also owes money for pesticides and fuel for his farm machinery.
“This situation has affected us one hundred per cent. Most people around here are devastated. These diseases have been extremely tough on us. Over the last few months, everything has gone downhill. Just to feed my family, I owe $1,300. All I can do is put my trust in God,” Mohamud told Radio Ergo.
Mohamud said the challenges posed by pests and crop disease cuts across the community, where nearly everyone shares the same losses from failed crops.
Desperate for solutions, Mohamud sought advice from agricultural experts on controlling pests and diseases. He tried several recommended pesticides, but none worked. The problem persisted, with a particular disease drying out his onions and vegetables.
“We used all the pesticides we had. We treated the crops, but it didn’t work. The disease has now spread and adapted to the environment and even the treatments we’ve been using,” he added.
Mohamud planted in June and his family faces a bleak future, as they have no other source of income.
“We are farmers, not herders. When the farm yields, we buy livestock, but now that the harvest has failed, we can’t afford to buy livestock,” he said.
Mohamud had to sell two of the five animals he bought with last year’s harvest earnings, receiving $180 in total that has already been spent on necessities.
Three of his children had to drop out of school on 10 September because he couldn’t pay the $15 monthly fee.
Another affected farmer, Ayaan Salebaan Abdi, lost the onions and grains she planted on her one-hectare farm in Halimale village.
Ayaan, who invested heavily in her farm, said her family was now destitute. They had used up their small savings over the past two months.
“Our children were attending school. We had no other source of income. The family’s expenses were covered only by the farm. When the crops grew, we would save some money and reinvest it. We fought hard, using whatever we had to buy pesticides and fuel. We’ve been surviving on the little savings we had, but now we can only rely on whatever God has destined for us,” she said.
The family’s only income source was their farm. Ayaan explained that they used to set aside money from their harvest for emergencies, but the crops failed this season despite all their efforts to treat them with pesticides.
She now struggles to provide even one meal a day for her six children. She owes $300 to local shops for food purchased on credit that she has no means to repay.
The director of agriculture for Somaliland’s Boon district, Abdinasir Abib Mohamud, confirmed the farmers’ complaints. However, he painted a wider picture of challenges affecting the productivity and livelihoods of local farmers.
“The existing problems stem from several issues, including various diseases, bacteria, and viruses. There are also pests. In some areas, you can see malnutrition. Additionally, farmers are unable to sell their produce. Poor road conditions make access difficult, and there is a lack of knowledge among the people, preventing them from understanding the situation. While they are dealing with diseases and bacteria affecting their crops, they are still using pesticides,” he explained.
He pointed out that some farmers unknowingly used the wrong treatments for their crops, making it difficult to control diseases and pests.
“The rain washes away the pesticide after it is applied, which worsens the spread of disease. Sometimes, the crops are left untreated or harvested incorrectly, allowing the disease to spread even further. We’ve seen infected tomatoes mingled with healthy ones, which makes the problem worse,” he said.
Abdinasir emphasised that separating healthy crops from infected ones was essential for disease control. However, with many farmers lacking proper knowledge and resources, tackling the spread of pests and diseases had become an overwhelming challenge.
The families in Salal, who had hoped to recover from the droughts of recent years, are now left further impoverished and disillusioned by their failed harvests.
