Effect
The project will work to increase food security, restore biodiversity and promote social enterprise in the Somaliland region. It is hoped that this project will be an example of that other communities around the horn of Africa can be inspired by and hopefully lead to the implementation of similar projects in the wider region.
Somali People
Currently the people in the region rely mainly on pastoralism for their livelihoods; due to land degradation and a changing climate this lifestyle has become increasingly precarious. During times of drought people can lose a significant amount of their assets/wealth and in extreme cases lead to the loss of life.
Communities
Buhodle and Ali Essa.
Both districts are located in the Hawd pastoralist grasing areas of Togdheer region in Somaliland on the border with Ethiopia.
Buhodle is a main district rich in both livestock and fledgling agriculture. It is a prominent border town for movements of goods to and from the East, Puntland and the Somali region of Ethiopia.
Ali Essa is a village which hosts a major boarding school for nomadic children in the Hawd region. The surrounding habitat of the village gives a good example for land restoration potentials in grasslands ecosystem. The community in Ali Essa has set aside land for restoration work and are ready to be fully engaged with environmental capacity building in their village.
Sowing the Seeds for the future
The sites will be linked with schools; this will not only increase the standard of education at these schools but also the knowledge and the benefits of this project will reach the families of the pastoralists whose children attend these schools. The sites and the knowledge gained from these two sites will be actively promoted and demonstrated to the local people and people from further afield; it is hoped that this will lead to wider conversations and discussions about how to better manage the landscape as a whole will begin.
