Environmental and Resource Management
The overuse and degradation of natural habitats, loss of biodiversity and impairment of ecosystem services are having a dramatic effect on livestock, farming and pose a threat to livelihoods among the pastoral population in particular. The environment that pastorals inhabited in Somaliland are basic to their way of life. It is therefore vitally important that the complex totality of the eco-system is understood and communicated generally to the public and to policy makers and concerned environmental entities. Now is when we need to make changes to improve our environment as a whole, as we are well aware of how deforestation causes incalculable environmental damage, releasing billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and driving thousands of species of life to extinction each year. Effective policies are urgently needed to discourage expansion of livestock production in forest areas and promote sustainable grazing systems that will halt the cycle of degradation and abandonment on cleared forest lands.
Around 85% of the population make a living from livestock farming, either exclusively (pastoral) or in combination with arable farming (agropastoral). However, only 3 per cent of land is used for crop growing, while a further 7 per cent is potentially arable. This basis for the people’s livelihoods is under threat from the impact of climate change: each year, around 10 tonnes of fertile soil is lost per hectare as a result of erosion by wind and water, as well as aggressive growth of Prosopis Juliflora that has created a significant challenge for agriculture and pastoralism across Somaliland.
The work we want to continue doing in a much larger scale are:
Providing training for pastorals communities and community based organisations about the sustainable management and development of the natural resource
Providing training on animal fodders and farming methods that are environmentally friendly
Awareness on the benefits of Prosopis and how to effectively manage it