Project Case Study
Improving agricultural value chains in Somalia
Increasing food security and nutrition, resilience and livelihoods for smallholder farmers
Livestock and agriculture in Somalia account for 60% of the country’s GDP, 80% of employment and 90% of exports. The sector has great potential to increase exports and provide greater food security in Somalia. A strong agriculture sector increases employment opportunities, especially for youth and migrant returnees. But this potential is hampered by low levels of productivity, vulnerability to climate change, and drought, as well as poor product quality. Weak and poorly coordinated agricultural value chains are often a cause of these problems in Somalia. A value chain is a range of activities needed to bring a product from its conception to the final consumer, each step adding a new element of value. Finding ways to improve Somalia’s agricultural value chains, and the institutional capacity of the Government to manage them, can improve the sector as well as Somalia’s national economy.
The project “Technical Assistance for Institutional Capacity Building on Agriculture Value Chain and Public-Private Partnership Development (OUTREACH)” works to increase competitiveness, inclusiveness and sustainability of agriculture value chains through effective public-private-producers partnerships. It works across Somalia with a focus on the Federal Government and the States of Jubbaland, HirShebelle and South-West. OUTREACH provides technical assistance to the Ministry of Agriculture at Federal and State level in order to strengthen their capacity to manage, support and regulate the sector as well as facilitate partnerships with farmers and the private sector.
The Technical Assistance will also develop value chain analysis, engaging private sector and farmers’ communities in a participatory way to define actions and strategies to increase the competitiveness of key agriculture products in Somalia.
Improvements made
- Undertaken a functional review of the Ministry of Agriculture at Federal and State level.
- Formulated regional crop value chain strategies for six crops across three states that will be implemented in a second phase of the program.
- Established a National Agriculture Forum across different Federal and Member State entities to build a platform for dialogue across Somalia on important agricultural issues.
- Defined the required regulations for development for improved value chains and endorsed them in consultation with the private sector and communities.
- Trained ministry staff in a range of agriculture and market development techniques and established a technical unit across States to enhance organisational leadership and management capacities.
