02-12-2024 | di COOPI

Somalia. Farmers' success with hermetic bags

Hassan Adan Suley, is a 42-year-old father of seven children, and a dedicated member of the Farmer Producer Group in Midow Village, Baidoa District, Somalia. With 10.8 hectares of farming land, Hassan has spent years cultivating crops to support his family and contribute to the local economy.

 

I would lose almost a quarter of my produce every season to pests while selling my harvest immediately to avoid loss. The market was often flooded with fresh produce, so I had to accept lower prices, 20% less than I would have liked. It was disheartening because I worked so hard to grow my crops, only to see them wasted. I felt a deep sense of failure, especially as a father trying to provide for my children. The loss meant I would struggle more to meet their basic needs, including food and school fees.” 

  he explains.

 

Recognizing the urgent need to address post-harvest losses, COOPI in the mark of Phase 2 of Somali Resilience Program (SomReP) and through the under the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) grant, launched a transformative initiative. The project “Consolidating Resilience Gains in Somalia, Phase 5” aimed to increase the resilience of chronically vulnerable Somali people, households, communities, and systems to climatic shocks and other related risks. In 2024 an important intervention in the project framework focused on providing innovative hermetic bags. Each farmer received 22 specialized bags, simple yet effective storage tools without the use of chemical preservatives. 

The use of hermetic bags allowed farmers, including Hassan, to preserve the crop from exogenous and endogenous agents, and to achieve optimal production levels.

 

I harvested beans in the last three months. I used 15 of the hermetic bags to store both beans and the seed coats. I use the seed coats for animal feed, providing a nutritious supplement for my livestock. From my harvest, I sold five bags of beans at $55 per bag, bringing in a total of $275. Meanwhile, my family uses three bags at home as a staple food source, ensuring we have enough beans to maintain a balanced diet and meet our nutritional needs. I use the rest of the bags to store the seed coats. Surprisingly, I did not lose any produce after using the bags! I stored my harvest for months without worrying about pests or spoilage. This was a game-changer for me. Thanks to COOPI, SomReP, and the donor for providing us with these invaluable hermetic bags and paving the way to our success.”

 

Despite their hard work, smallholder farmers in Baidoa struggle with high post-harvest losses, often exceeding 30% due to poor adequate storage facilities and ineffective pest management. Without proper means to preserve their produce, farmers are often forced to sell at low prices immediately after harvesting, just to avoid spoilage. This cycle of waste and low returns deepens their economic struggles, leaving them trapped in uncertainty—where even a successful harvest doesn’t guarantee food security or financial stability.

The project enhanced community health by providing families with higher-quality food while reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. Hassan's story is a shining example for other communities, illustrating that with strategic, layered initiatives, sustainable agricultural resilience can become a reality. Supporting farmers in regions like Baidoa is crucial not just for local survival but also for establishing the foundation for the country’s broader peace, security, and sustainable development.

COOPI has been working in Somalia since 1981 and has been part of the Somali Resilience Program (SomReP) consortium since 2012, with which it implements resilience programmes in the Bay and Gedo regions and intervenes in the districts of Baidoa, Dollow and Belet-Hawa. In each intervention, depending on the context, COOPI integrates one or more cross-cutting areas: protection, gender, environment and disaster risk reduction.