(ERGO) – Across Somalia, cycles of failed rain, unforeseen drought and floods, are combining to cause the displacement of families, deaths of livestock, and erosion of livelihoods every year. Much of this is being attributed to climate change. Radio Ergo’s Somaliland correspondent, Ilyas Abdi Ali, interviewed Dr Mohamed Hassan Mohamoud, an expert in farming and animal fodder from the Somaliland Ministry of Livestock, asking first who should do what in preparation for climate change?
Dr Mohamed Hassan: This is something that needs collective effort. There is an individual effort that can be made by the farmer and then there is a national effort that requires the government and aid agencies’ involvement. As experts, we say the farmers don’t have ears, they only have eyes because they believe whatever they see another farmer has done that has produced successful result. If a farmer does something with the help of experts and they can see positive results coming out of it, other farmers will try to emulate it. But if you just tell them something, they leave it there as if it is nothing. It is a problem when floods from rainfall destroy the farmers’ homes and wash away their farms, yet they don’t store any of that massive amount of water. The drought starts immediately the rains stop.
Radio Ergo: If you look at the current drought situation in the country, what do you think people should have known before this drought struck?
Dr Mohamed Hassan: The farmers and the pastoralists should have been informed about the weather patterns. We would advise the authorities to put into action the weather forecast facilities and share the reports with the farmers and the pastoralists. This helps them prepare for the drought season by increasing their production. A farmer might divide his farm and plant crops on a small portion of his farm, these crops are then saved to feed the family during the drought seasons. Likewise, the pastoralists would divide their livestock and sell those that they think won’t make it through the drought and save the milk- producing ones for the family to feed on during the drought season.
Radio Ergo: How do trees benefit the environment, animals and even health?
Dr Mohamed Hassan: The trees bring a lot of benefits to the environment and when we talk of the environment, it is where both animals and people live. When there is a scorching heat from the sun, both people and animals shelter and rest under trees. Some of the trees provide us with fruits and they also have benefit in terms of bringing rain. When the trees are cut down, it brings health problems as the direct sunlight reflects on your eyes, or the wind becomes too much and destroys buildings and even the crops planted in the farm, but when there are trees, that wind wouldn’t occur. The trees act as a brake against the wind.
Radio Ergo: How does cutting down trees for charcoal by the pastoralists during the dry season affect the environment?
Dr Mohamed Hassan: There are a lot of problems that push people to deforestation, one of them is when they don’t want to flee their homes and they are not getting aid assistance, then they turn to cutting trees for charcoal to save their lives. But what they don’t know is that by cutting the trees, their situation will deteriorate further because when they cut down the few remaining trees, their remaining livestock die as well. Then they will face a lot of problems that would be prevented by the trees, and that is the reason why people are advised against cutting down the trees, especially the acacia trees. These are trees that take years to grow but can be cut down easily, so cutting down trees should stop. Drought is not only caused by lack of rain, rather there is a man-made drought engineered by cutting down the trees. The problem caused to the environment far outweighs the little money you get from the charcoal.
