My grandfathers farm in Banaaney, Gedo -PIC

[Grant]

How do they prepare the soil for planting? Yambo?

[XimanJaale]

How do they prepare the soil for planting? Yambo?

I'm not sure, but my last trip there, I remember they used dig the soil when it was moist in a straight pattern many of them in one whole section. When they dig it looks half deep. Bare in mind it was the rainy season that time.

I think they dig it deep during rainy season and less deep during dry season.

[Grant]

Yes. But what tool are they using? Is it a small hoe?

[XimanJaale]

They use this to settle the soil: (not many farmers got this in Gedo, only some)


Most use these techniques to dig the soil:


And they use this always:

[Voltage]

Yes. But what tool are they using? Is it a small hoe?

Um, tractors?

Here are pictures of a farm in the same Gedo region

[XimanJaale]

Thanks for those pics volt

Yeah afcourse we have tractors! This is not the 1900's

[Voltage]

Grant according to that farm's source, it grows bananas, mangoes, onions, maize, and also tobacco.

[XimanJaale]

Volt,

Diraro part of Gedo , has dark brown soil I was told this part of Gedo can produce so much tobacco. The Dawwa part of Gedo has also nice soil that is good for other products.

Look at the dark soil, this patch is good for tobacco making

[Grant]

Looks like semsem, too.

I understood from the solar drip thread that the cost of diesel was prohibitive, so the use of the tractors surprises me. When I was in Jilib in 1966 the universal tool in the Gosha was a small hoe called a yambo. What do you call the hoe in your picture?

[XimanJaale]

You were in Jilib in 1966 You must be like over 50 now eh

We call that tool 'Jabaq', I think some people call it something else in different places in Somalia.

[Voltage]

Yes, you are right...sesame as well. Ximan, Grant was in the Peace Corps to Somalia.

Grant, yeah you are probably right that small scale or individual farmers would find having tractors not cost efficient. The farm above gets support from a Netherlands based Marehan NGO called Hirda. I suppose that is why how they can afford tractors and subsidized diesel.

http://www.hirda.org/

I have heard yaambo used for the little hoe as well and cagaf for the tractor.

[Voltage]

Ximan, do you know anything about the latest farming craze in Western Galgaduud? The physiologically hostile and strong nomadic cultured central regions is the last place I expected farming to take root. But the pictures coming out of Caabudwaaq are stunning. They have caught onto drip irrigation





More Caabudwaaq

[XimanJaale]

Volt,

I'm really proud of them, there are many farms developing in Western Galgaduud each year, don't forget that the western Galgaduud has the most livestock in central Somalia, so they are using water for both the farms and the livestocks. Overall good progress and many to come!

Can't wait for peace and stability in Somalia

[fatimazahra]

Mashallah