Troops of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), have conducted an agricultural extension visit for women’s groups in Dhobley, Jubaland State to promote and share best practices in farming, with the aim of empowering women.
The field extension visit was organised by Kenyan AMISOM troops, based in Dhobley town as part of their Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC) activities.
During the field visit, the women visited a demonstration farm on Wednesday at the AMISOM Headquarters in Dhobley, which comprised a vegetable section, tree nurseries, a poultry section and a fishpond.
“It is cheap to maintain a mixed farm as the diverse components symbiotically depend on each other. Having the farms helps to empower you economically and at the same time offers avenues of self-employment,” said Sergeant Kennedy Juma, while inducting the women on various projects in the farm.
The women were taken through the procedure of establishing vegetable gardens and tree nurseries in their homes, critical for environment conservation. They were also shown how to hatch chicks using incubators with the aim of establishing poultry farms, to boost incomes and livelihoods.
At the end of the tour, the women were encouraged to set up vegetable farms in their homesteads, to supplement their incomes and for domestic consumption.
Additionally, they were also advised to embrace the use of simple drip irrigation on their farms, to tackle the issue of water scarcity in the area.
“Such socio-economic development initiatives are crucial in achieving lasting peace and stability and guaranteeing food security,” said Captain Getrude Abiyo, the Officer in Charge of the Female Engagement Team (FET) in Dhobley.
The visit to the farm is part of the initiatives by FET, aimed at empowering Somali women, to enhance their participation in community development and leadership.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Mission in Somalia.
