The threats of famine in 2022 jolted stakeholders in Somalia’s humanitarian and development space into action to prevent the crisis from becoming outright famine. The climate-related shocks have continued to force many Somalis to leave their homes, thereby joining the ever-increasing numbers of displaced populations in many urban peripheries.

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), as part of the Joint Programme on Local Governance and Decentralised Service Delivery (JPLG) and in collaboration with local and State government partners, mobilised resources to invest in an irrigation project to prevent hunger among displaced people. With USD 900,000.00 in funding from the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) and 9 hectares of land donated by Baidoa municipality, the irrigation project was formally launched by the Mayor of Baidoa and the DG of the Southwest State Ministry of Interior on 27th August 2023.

The project in the middle of the Barwaaqo IDP settlement has two interconnected components: a solar-powered irrigation scheme and a market. The irrigation part of the project is envisaged to benefit 60 households, with women envisaged to account for a disproportionate number of beneficiaries and divided equally between IDPs and host communities to foster integration. The irrigation system will be powered by solar to respond to climate change imperatives. The irrigation scheme has passed all feasibility studies, thus paving the way for its construction. Part of the produce from the irrigation scheme will be taken to the market. Currently, at an advanced stage of construction, the market area will also have a storeroom, prayer and toilet facilities.

The market will accommodate 60 traders, mainly women and IDPs. The local authority will generate revenues through charging levies from the irrigated plots and market stalls. The adjacent community will also benefit as it will be drawing water from the kiosk to be located outside the irrigation perimeter fences. Also, besides contributing to the prevention of hunger in the region, the project will transform the Southwest State’s development landscape by catalysing many more value chains in the area and bridge many gaps in Somali society, including gender and exclusion imbalances, climate change and development gaps. The project will contribute to Somalia’s National Development Plan 2020-24, particularly pillars 3 and 4, and 11 of the 17 SDGs (i.e. 1,2, 5, 6, 7, 8,9,10,11,13 and 17).

The project is envisaged to be completed at the end of November 2023