TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH IN SOMALIA

Presented at the Workshop on Flagship 4:CGIAR Research for Improving the Impact of Relief, Recovery and Rehabilitation on Agricultural Livelihoods in Highly Stressed and Unstable Systems May 22-23, 08 Nairobi, Kenya HUSSEIN HAJI

(SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

OVERVIEW

 Introduction to SATG  Background – Agriculture in Somalia  Research systems and limitations  Past  Present  Future – Ideas for discussion (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

SOMALI AGRICULTURE TECHNICAL GROUP (SATG)

 A registered non-profit association of Somali professionals and friends of the country  Dedicated to assisting in the reconstruction of Somalia and its agricultural heritage (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

SATG MISSION

 To strive for peace and prosperity through sustainable agricultural development (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

SATG MEMBERS

 Multidisciplinary team consisting of highly qualified and experienced professionals from different sectors of agriculture  Crop improvement and biotechnology  Crop production and soil management  Crop protection  Farming systems and technology transfer  Water resource management  Animal and food science  Livestock (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

SATG ACHIEVEMENTS

 Established SATG electronic forum  Filsan mungbean identification and repatriation  Phosphorous as one of the limiting factors in the Bay region soils  Documented historic information on PGR and seed sector  Recommendations on livestock sector, deforestation and charcoal export  Providing technical support to local and international NGO’s  Visit www.satg.org

for details (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

BACKGROUND

 Agriculture contributed 65% of GDP-1990  Livestock – 51%  Crops - 38%  Forestry – 9.5%  Fisheries - < 1% (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

BACKGROUND

 Cereal crops  Sorghum, maize and rice  Legume crops  Cowpeas and mungbeans  Oil crops  Sesame and sunflower  Commercial crops  Banana, Citrus, Vegetables, Sugar cane, Cotton, Frankincense, and Myrrh (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

BACKGROUND

 Cropping Systems  Irrigated (South)  Rainfall (South, Central, North West) Most crop production takes place in the south which have suffered the most from civil unrest (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

YEAR 1967-1972 1979 1980 1987 1990 1990-2008

MILESTONE

MILESTONE Agriculture research Somali universities Release of Somtux maize variety Wyoming team in the Bay region IDRC sorghum project Sorghum germplasm collection Release of Filsan mungbean variety Phosphorous deficiency Civil war NGO’s (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

RESEARCH SYSTEM-PAST

MINSTRY OF AGRICULTURE RESEARCH DEPT.

CARS BDARS JILIB AG. EXTENTION ABUREEN (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

LIMITATIONS

 Linkages among research, extension, and the agric. university  Stakeholder participation  Priority setting  Monitoring and evaluation  Research quality  Lack of motivation  Disproportionate funding (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

RESEARCH SYSTEM-PRESENT

Somali Support Secretariat  Food Security and Rural Development-Agriculture working Group        CINS CEFA AGROSPHERE CONCERN SAVE THE CHILDREN GTZ CARE (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

RESEARCH SYSTEM-PRESENT

 SAGRA   Somali Universities Local NGO’s (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

RESEARCH SYSTEM-PRESENT

Filsan Seed Distribution (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

LIMITATIONS

International NGO  Remotely present  Short-term and lack of support for long-term programs  Staff turn over and loss of institutional memory  Quality of research  Research experience Local NGO  Present  Infrastructure  Experience eroding  Lack of training and human resource development  Lack of funding to conduct research  No agenda for research (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

RESEARCH SYSTEM-FUTURE

 Status quo until peace, security and a working government are restored  A move towards research and extension establishment irrespective to the current conditions on the ground. How?

(SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

RESEARCH SYSTEM-FUTURE

 Who are the stakeholders? Farmers, commercial buyers, consumers, input suppliers, seed producers, International NGOs, TFG What type of technical support is available?

 CG Centre  SATG   FAO NGO’s What kind of resources are available on the ground?

 SAGRA, Local NGO’s  Somali Universities (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

RESEARCH SYSTEM-FUTURE

 What type of research framework to follow?

 How to strengthen the system linkage?

 What type of research is required?

(SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

RESEARCH SYSTEM-FUTURE

Sectors MEMBERSHIP Research Board Technical Support Committee Stakeholders CG Centre, FAO, SATG,NGO’s Implementation SAGRA, Somali Universities, NGO’s (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

 IDRC  CG team for collective action (SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group

THANK YOU

(SATG) Somali Agriculture Technical Group