Somali villagers’ smart response to a complex climate crisis

19 August 2025 | Hergaisa, Somaliland

In the arid heartlands of Somaliland, the effects of climate change are no longer a distant threat — they are a daily reality. In villages like Arabsiyo and Caro Yaambo, just 35 west of Hargeisa, water is no longer just a basic need. It is survival.

For generations, families in this area lived as nomadic pastoralists, moving with the rains. But as the climate has shifted and droughts have intensified, their way of life has been forced to change.

Aamino Ibrahim Abdillahi, a 70-year-old grandmother of eleven, the past holds memories of hardship and loss.

“This farm is where my family and I live now. In the past, I had to walk six hours to fetch water. Our livestock also drank from that distant source. Now, we have small water reservoirs and catchments. They are a lifeline.”

But those lifelines were hard-earned. In 2017, a devastating drought wiped out nearly her entire herd — over 100 goats and 30 cows reduced to just 10 goats and four cows. Despite preparing her farm for planting three times this year, the rains never came. Buying fodder for her remaining animals has become a daily struggle.

Her story echoes throughout the region.

Adan Muxumat Xersi, a pastoralist from Caro Yaambo village near Arabsiyo, recalls with clarity the brutal cycles of drought that have reshaped his life and livelihood.

“In one of the worst droughts, we had over 350 goats — only 40 survived. We had to transport animal fodder from the Somali-Ethiopia border using camels, ten trips back and forth. Eventually, even trucks were needed just to get water.”

The successive droughts of 2017, 2019, and 2021 had devastating impacts. Many families lost their livestock and were forced to migrate to urban areas, becoming internally displaced persons (IDPs).

In those years, the daily search for water meant walking 5 to 7 kilometers to distant valleys. Wells would dry up after serving just five or six families. Herds returned hungry and exhausted — many never returned at all.

But Adan didn’t give up.

“With support and determination, I rebuilt. Those 40 goats became the foundation of my herd again. We’ve learned to keep fewer animals but care for them better. That’s how resilience starts.” Said Adan.

The climate crisis has forced a shift — not just in livelihoods, but in mindset. Once nomadic, communities are now becoming agro-pastoralists, adapting their lives to a harsher, more unpredictable environment. As Ahmed-diini Nuur Good, Director of Disaster Preparedness and Early Warning, Somaliland National Disaster Preparedness and Food Reserve Authority (NADFOR), puts it:

“The communities of Arabsiyo and surroundings have suffered a triple crisis: changing climate patterns, recurrent droughts, and dwindling resources. Now permanently settled, they are fighting to survive.”

Recognizing this urgent need, UNDP, through NADFOR, initiated localized solutions. In 2023, communities in Arabsiyo areas opted for geo-membrane plastic reservoirs — a more durable, flexible alternative to traditional tanks. These systems can store large amounts of rainwater and withstand Somaliland’s extreme conditions.

So far, 100 water harvesting systems have been installed, benefiting over 100 female-headed households. This is part of a broader effort under the “Promoting Resilience through an Integrated Approach to Water, Environment, and Disaster Risk Reduction” project, supported by the Local Disaster Resilience Fund.

For Aamino, these water catchments represent more than infrastructure.

“Water is life,” she says. “Without it, there is no future for us, our livestock, or our land.”

And for Adan, they are the key to dignity and stability.

“Our number one priority is water. If there’s no water, nothing survives — not people, not farms, not animals.”

In the face of a changing climate, the people of Somaliland are not giving up. They are adapting, learning, and leading their own path to resilience.

About the Project

This project strengthens the capacity of Somali authorities and communities to promote sustainable, resilient development by focusing on water management, environmental governance, and disaster risk reduction. By integrating national priorities and community needs, it offers practical solutions to enhance resilience in water-scarce and disaster-prone areas. The project builds on past successes, supports the National Transformation Plan, and aligns with Somalia’s Resilient Recovery Framework (RRF).

(Story by Ilyas Abukar and Ahmed Fais at UNDP Somalia)