Mandera communities turn to fodder farming to fight drought

In the face of worsening drought conditions and the drying of the River Daua, communities in Mandera County are turning to climate-smart fodder farming to combat acute animal feed shortages and secure their pastoral livelihoods.

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The Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA-NABAD), in collaboration with the County Government of Mandera, has trained 361 farmer groups through climate-smart fodder production to address animal feed scarcity as well as good agricultural practices.

Farmers in Fiqow, Mandera East pose for a group photo after partly harvesting fodder

With livestock at the core of Mandera’s economy, 120 farmers along the riverine, through the support of RACIDA, are using fodder as a game-changer for drought recovery and local food security.

A total of (203 men and 158 women have been trained through the 3-year project funded by European Union.

The training includes the introduction to drought-resilient fodder seed varieties, seed bulking, dryland farming, and water-efficient irrigation techniques to address recurring animal feed supply shortages during drought seasons and ensure year-round livestock feed availability.

Based on this support, 120 farm group members in the upper riverine areas of Fiqow in Mandera East and Maygag in Lafey subcounty have turned to transformative fodder farming to cope with the biting drought.

Over the past months, 100 acres of degraded land have been rehabilitated and seeded with drought-tolerant fodder crops.

Fatuma Abdi, 55, a beneficiary of the project whose newly cultivated farm is already feeding over 60 goats and sheep, described the project as one that has transformed their lives for the better.

“We’ve greatly benefited from this project. We now use our own fodder to feed our livestock during this drought and resell the surplus to earn income, she said.

Ahmed Hussein, another beneficiary from Maygag and who owns several cows, goats, and camels, says the project has had a significant impact on their lives and helped in restoring hope for them in livestock farming.

“This initiative has restored our livelihoods while reducing reliance on expensive, imported feeds like it used to be the case. We are now able to retain our primary assets—livestock—during times of climate shock since we have enough feeds,” he said.

Ali Kassim Hassan, farmer and beneficiary, from Fiqow disclosed that among their 11 female group members, four are widows raising their children alone, reiterating how the project is enabling vulnerable women to earn an income and ease the burden on their lives.

Mohamed Noor, another beneficiary, said that the ever-changing climate condition calls for pastoralists to think outside the box thanking those who are behind the project for holding their hands and supporting them at their hour of need.

Adan Mohamed Abdinoor said that before the project he used to pick lemons from farms to resell at the market just to feed his family, but things have changed since he was trained on climate-smart farming, and he now has skills to grow and manage fodder.

In an interview, Yussuf Mohamed, Chief of Party, BORESHA-NABAD said the initiative is part of their broader activities to support communities in the area in better adapting their livelihoods to climate change and environmental degradation by enhancing the adoption of adaptive climate-smart agro-pastoral techniques and climate-resilient income-generation activities, particularly among women and youth.

“As climate extremes become the new normal, our intervention envisages beyond producing fodder. We are establishing market linkages by connecting farmers to markets across the borderlands and leveraging this connection as a path to peacebuilding, an economic enabler,” he said.

He added: “This collaborative approach not only extends the impact of the project beyond its duration but also fosters enduring relationships between farmers, agro-vets, and seed suppliers. By connecting all stakeholders in the agricultural value chain, BORESHA-NABAD is not just transforming farms but also nurturing a thriving ecosystem of support and growth for all involved."

He said the plan is to scale the model across other drought-prone areas in the Mandera Triangle, linking fodder farmers to regional livestock markets and introducing mobile forage banks to strengthen availability during dry seasons.

Mohamed Noor, Deputy County Livestock Officer for Mandera, described the project as a bold step towards self-sufficiency and resilience.

“We’re seeing a shift from dependency to dignity where farmers are taking control of their future, one harvest at a time,” he said.

The project is part of the broader EU Peaceful and Resilient Borderlands program, which aims to foster peace and resilience in the borderland areas of Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia.