Fiqifuliye, Sanaag: When the rains come to this plateau, water rushes down in streams instead of soaking into the land, carving gullies and leaving the soil barren. That is why the community of Fiqifuliye chose a simple but effective solution: 300 soil bunds – low earthen walls built across the land to catch water and direct it to pasture areas. Each bund measures 30 meters long, 1 meter wide, and 0.7 meters high. Once in place, water spreads across the pasture instead of running off, allowing fodder to grow for an estimated 50,000 sheep and goats in the area.
Before any work began, SEDO Somalia sat down with the people of Fiqifuliye and asked what they needed most. Their answer was clear: soil bunds and fodder production. They knew that without water on their land, nothing else mattered. SEDO proposed the project to WFP, and together they made it happen through Food for Assets, where families receive food assistance in exchange for their labor. During construction from July to December 2019, 170 participants (about 1,020 family members) received monthly food distributions while building the bunds.
Fiqifuliye is drought-prone and food-insecure one of the most vulnerable areas in Somalia. This project does not just give handouts; it gives people a reason to stay on their land and a way to feed their livestock and themselves. Healthier animals mean more milk, more offspring, more income, and less dependence on emergency aid. The bunds are now in place, fodder is growing, and the people of Fiqifuliye know they built it themselves. SEDO Somalia continues to work with the community, and the real success will be measured when the rains return and the pasture turns green feeding both animals and families for seasons to come.
