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INTER-GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY ON DEVELOPMENT (IGAD)

THE BIODIVERSITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME IN

THE HORN OF AFRICA (BMP)

Report compiled by; Savana Research and Consultancy Limited, 2017

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Table of Contents

1. Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................... iii

2. Executive summary ................................................................................................................. iii

3. BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................... 1

4. OVERVIEW OF PROJECT TARGET DISTRICT SITES ........................................................ 1

5. LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES ................................................................................................... 2

1.1 Fishing ......................................................................................................................... 2

1.2 Farming ....................................................................................................................... 3

1.3 Pastoralism/Livestock Keeping ...................................................................................... 3

1.4 Bee Hunting ................................................................................................................. 4

1.5 Trade ........................................................................................................................... 4

1.6 Shelter and Housing...................................................................................................... 5

6. IGAD BMP PILOT PROJECT PROGRESS IN RAS KAMBONI............................................. 6

1.7 Mobilization of Community for Awareness Creation on Natural Resource Management (NRM)

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1.8 Details of the five days training on NRM ........................................................................ 9

1.8.1 Day 1: Introduction to Natural Resource Management ............................................... 9

1.8.2 Day 2: Social and Economic issues of NRM ............................................................... 10

1.8.3 Day 3: Identifying biodiversity Hotspots ................................................................... 10

1.8.4 Examples of common signs of hot spots ................................................................... 11

1.8.5 Day 4 & 5: Developing an NRM Plan......................................................................... 13

1.8.6 How to prepare an NRM plan .................................................................................. 13

1.9 Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and Water Catchment Improvement Interventions ........... 15

1.9.1 Summary of the progress achieved .......................................................................... 15

1.9.2 Details of the training ............................................................................................. 16

1.10 Support Development of Honey Value Chain ................................................................ 24

1.10.1 Details of the training ............................................................................................. 25

7. Challenges Encountered In Implementing the BMP Project Activities ................................. 34

8. Recommendations ................................................................................................................. 36

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Summary of integrated soil water conservation techniques................................................... 12

Table 2: Indigenous technologies for RWH in Somalia (SWALIM, FAO, 2007) ....................................... 18

Table 3: Life cycle of honey bees....................................................................................................... 27

1. Acknowledgement

Savana Research and consultancy limited would like to sincerely thank and express our felt

gratitude to the local community of Ras kamboni for their hospitality and cooperation during

the course of the pilot activities. We would also like to thank the Honorable Mohamed Yusuf

and the staff at the ministry of minerals, energy and water of Jubbaland, Somalia. Special

thanks also goes to the district authority of Badhadhe and Ras kamboni division who provided

support to the team in the area despite the numerous challenges in the area.

2. Executive summary

The IGAD BMP implemented by ICRAF has successfully supported three project activities in Ras

Kamboni, Somalia. The three activities are honey value chain development, rainwater

harvesting and training and capacity building on natural resource management. The report

provides the achievements and next steps for each of the three activities.

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3. BACKGROUND

Biodiversity Management Programme (BMP) is an IGAD initiative with the financial support of

the European Union (EU) aiming to contribute to poverty reduction by improving the s ocial and

economic wellbeing of the populations in the IGAD region, through a better regional integration

in the environmental sector. Its purpose is the conservation and sustainable management of

the ecosystems in the IGAD region, in order to contribute to lasting ecosystem goods and

services.

ICRAF is one of the BMP Implementing Partners and is managing The Tana-Kipini-Laga Badana

Bush Bushle Land and Seascape (North East Kenya and South East Somalia), one of the three

projects financed through the IGAD Biodiversity Management Programme in the Horn of Africa

to develop collaborative management in three cross-boundaries land and seascapes between

Kenya-Somalia, Djibouti-Ethiopia and Ethiopia-South Sudan.

The ICRAF project started in November 2013 and will last till November 2017. It is being

implemented in the cross-border area of North Eastern Kenya and Southern Somalia in an area

extending from the Tana River delta in Kenya to the Laga Badana Bush Bushle National Reserve

in Somalia. Savana Consultancy & Research Services Ltd (SCRS) will partner with ICRAF and

contribute in supporting for the implementation of the proposed activities in targeted sites of

Ras Kamboni in Jubbaland-Somalia to achieve the project result on cross border biodiversity

conservation. Savana Consultancy & Research Services Ltd (SCRS) consultant of the project

selected by ICRAF to fast track implementation of activities within the cross border area of

Somalia. The priority activities include: a) Community mobilization and awareness creation on

Natural Resource Management (NRM), b) Rainwater harvesting and water catchment

improvement, c) Honey value chain development. The main objective is to implement the

above priority activities in the IGAD BMP project area in Southern Somalia to real ize the

project’s envisaged biodiversity conservation results

4. OVERVIEW OF PROJECT TARGET DISTRICT SITES

Badhadhe district is one of the four districts of the Lower Juba Region that is located in South of

Somalia adjacent to Kenya's border close to the coastal town of Lamu in Kenya (Latitude of -

1.00207 and Longitude 41.66144). The district has a total population of 49,008 with 85% or

41,656 living in rural villages and remote satellite settlements with limited access to basic social

services (UNDP-2014). The Laga Badana Bush Bushel national park s ituated at 1°23′S 41°35′E

covers an area of 3,340 km2. The park adjoins Boni-Dodori National Reserves in Kenya. This

coastal cross border area is host to a large variety of biodiversity, which is under human driven

degradation threat. The IGAD BMP project is envisaged to reverse the degradation trend to

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contribute to poverty reduction by improving the social and economic wellbeing of the

populations for conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystems in the IGAD

region, in order to contribute to lasting ecosystem goods and services. Communities in Laga -

Badana are mainly pastoralists and their main socioeconomic activities are livestock production,

small businesses, casual labour and extraction of forest products mainly for commercial

charcoal production, firewood, timber and wild honey production.

5. LIVELIHOOD STRATEGIES

Residents of Ras kamboni town engage in various activities as sources of income and they

include:

1.1 Fishing

Many Ras kamboni residents depend on fishing as their main livelihood source including those

who don’t own fishing gear by themselves but work for those who have the equipment e.g

boats and the necessary tools. However, there exists many challenges that hinder the

development and sustainability of this potentially rewarding venture. These include the lack of

good markets for fish and other sea products, foreign trawlers and ships who either destroy

nets or restrict the movement of local fishermen, lack of freezers for stocking fish, poor and

unsustainable methods or skills including over exploitation and depleting specific sea creatures

specially turtles and lobsters among others.

The marine environment around Ras kamboni is also gradually being polluted as residents

dump all their household waste at the beach.

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Bajuni fishermen arrive in Kamboni after a fishing trip photo credit: Savana Consultancy

Limited/ICRAF.

Dumping and pollution on the Ras Kamboni beach photo credit: Savana Consultancy

Limited/ICRAF.

1.2 Farming

Limited farming activities takes place from time to time around Ras kamboni area particularly

relying on rain water. Crops cultivated are usually maize and vegetables. However, some

residents carry out more established farming activities further north inland , about 30-40 km

from Ras Kamboni whereby water availability and soils support farming on a large scale.

Farmers have permanent fruit trees and other crops and vegetables. These activities have been

severely hampered by the military activities by Al shabab and KDF.

1.3 Pastoralism/Livestock Keeping

Rearing of animals especially goats, sheep, cattle and donkeys are widely practiced in the area.

Camel rearing is not practiced in the kamboni area since camels do not do well at all in this zone

but thrives to the north east near Burgavo town. Recurrent droughts and a changing

environment that has been seriously affected by deforestation is now making this kind of

livelihood strategy an extremely hard one. Water availability for the big animal herds is a critical

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factor that affects local livelihood groups and at the moment, this group is facing huge

challenges and are trekking long distances, many times across the border into Kenya, in search

of water.

Cattle herd from Ras Kamboni crossing into Kenya photo credit: Savana Consultancy

Limited/ICRAF.

1.4 Bee Hunting

Some residents have been good at collecting honey in the bush using unsustainable methods

including chasing away bees with fires

1.5 Trade

Local trading activities takes place in Ras Kamboni with Kismayo town their main source of

goods. Dhows are the only transportation method possible at the moment via the Indian

Ocean. Very limited cross border activity takes place with neighboring Kiunga on the Kenya

Side. However, Ras Kamboni is a key transit hub for Khat (Mira) stimulants imported via Kiunga

border and is transported to nearby islands and Kismayo in the space of 4 or 5 hours using

speed boats. Some residents especially women have also their service providing businesses

including tea and food kiosks, butcheries and other small shops. Other important sources of

income include: building and construction, donkey carts, livestock sale and dhow making.

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Donkey carts make their way into sea to off load goods from a boat in from Kiunga, Lamu

Border in Kenya, photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

1.6 Shelter and Housing

Many housing structures in the area

involve traditional mud houses with very

modest building materials including

mud, small stones and palm leaves.

Many residents have rusty iron sheets

for their roof but clearly from

observation, all households have trouble

with fencing their homes including well

to do ones. Strong Sea winds and humid air conditions increase the cost of maintaining iron

sheets and shelter in general.

Sample of houses in Ras

Kamboni, photo credit: Savana

Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

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6. IGAD BMP PILOT PROJECT PROGRESS IN RAS KAMBONI

After successful baseline assessment of three activities in Ras Kamboni , Savana Consultancy

limited with facilitation from ICRAF conducted the actual implementation of the three activities

in Ras Kamboni. The subsection below provides the progress of each of the three activities

commissioned under the IGAD BMP project implemented by ICRAF.

Progress on the three activities commissioned under the IGAD BMP project

1.7 Mobilization of Community for Awareness Creation on Natural Resource Management

(NRM)

Summary of the progress achieved

Baseline assessment on natural resource management in Ras Kamboni revealed that the people

dwelling in Ras Kamboni generate their income from jobs related to the marine biodiversity

through fishing, pastoralism, charcoal harvested from the forest, wild honey collection and

small businesses. From the survey, it was clear that;

The stakeholder in the area had inadequate knowledge about the conservation of

Natural resources

Community awareness on biodiversity conservation was low

There was weakness on development and enforcement of policies and regulations for

biodiversity conservation at local and national level

Insecurity in the area has negatively impacted the management of natural resources

Human wildlife conflict due to access to natural resource was common

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Pastoralism is among the main source of livelihood in Ras Kamboni, photo credit: Savana

Consultancy Limited/ICRAF

Additionally, it was evident that Ras Kamboni has rich natural resources especially biotic

resources on land and in the ocean that includes various types of flora and fauna which

support the community wellbeing. Others include natural energy resources for instance solar

and wind power and (yet to be confirmed but widely believed) natural gas and other fossil

fuels. Water is currently perhaps the most important natural resource for the local community.

However, sustainability of natural resources is at risk of degradation due to inadequate

community awareness on natural resources management and weak guiding policy framework.

The study recommended awareness creation and capacity building on natural resource

management targeting local communities and authorities in Ras Kamboni.

Considering the recommendation made after the baseline assessment, Savana consultancy

limited with support from World Agroforestry Center conducted training and capacity building

to local communities and local authorities in Ras Kamboni area on NRM.

The training took five days between 15th and 19th of February 2017. On the first day, the

participants were trained on the general concept of NRM, social economic dimensions of

natural resource management, objectives, benefits, challenges as well as opportunities

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presented by NRM. On the second day, the role of various stakeholders in natural resource

management was discussed and a participatory approach to identification of biodiversity

hotspots and its management was pointed out by both participants and the facilitators. On the

third day, technologies used for NRM were presented and discussed with the participants

while the fourth and fifth day involved practical sessions on the formation of a natural

resource plan for the area.

In a five day period, the team was able to create local awareness on the objectives of the

biodiversity management project and build a good platform for better and effective

management strategies of locally available natural resources. Of particular importance was the

need for soil, water and vegetation conservation of the area and prevent further

environmental degradation to ensure sustainable use of these resources. About 300

Community members of which about 70 were women which also included 40 youth members

of both sexes (14 girls) were sensitized as a result and were receptive to the messages.

However, many of the participants pointed out the challenges that exist in the area which

could hamper efforts geared towards biodiversity conservation. These include water scarcity

and the diminishing livelihood sources that resulted from protracted and recurring drought

situation that wiped out most of the animals that are the livelihood backbone for most

households. Difficulty in accessing markets especially for fishermen and restriction of

movement both on sea and land by various actors have also frustrated young people who

desperately need to gain income. All these factors strongly contribute to and may actually

compel people to adopt environmentally adverse coping mechanisms of earning income

including cutting down trees for charcoal production.

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Section of the community during the NRM discussions at the community hall in Ras Kamboni

photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF

1.8 Details of the five days training on NRM

1.8.1 Day 1: Introduction to Natural Resource Management

The participants was trained on various categorize of natural resources which included wildlife,

trees, agroecology, soils and soil erosion, plants and water.

Agroecology was described as an area which could be arid, semi-arid, or humid. Agro ecological

regions have varying terrains which could be flat, gently sloping or hilly. Soil was described

based on soil characteristics whether sandy or clay; fertile or infertile, depth of topsoil, water

holding capacity, soil variation within the area and soil management practices by farmers. In

addition the participants were informed that soil fertility affects productivity and how to

manage soil to maintain fertility and reduce soil erosion. Wildlife and trees were also

mentioned as important natural resources as well as water.

The benefits of natural resources were explained as below;

Source of ecosystem services- provisioning, cultural, supporting and regulating

ecosystem services are derived from natural resources.

Ornamental- trees, wildlife and landscapes provides beauty scenery for aesthetic values

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Ecotourism – unique biodiversity attracts tourist who are a source of employment and

income generation

Wood fuel - trees are the main source of solid biomass used in sub-Sahara Africa for

cooking, lighting and other energy needs.

Construction materials- trees are sources of construction materials

National heritage - natural resources are part of the national heritage

1.8.2 Day 2: Social and Economic issues of NRM

The training covered the Objectives, benefits, challenges, opportunities presented by NRM and

Stakeholder engagement in NRM.

1.8.3 Day 3: Identifying biodiversity Hotspots

Facilitators discussed with participants the meaning of biodiversity hotspots, causes of

biodiversity degradation, indicators to identify degraded areas and recommended possible

solutions. Currently the potential hotspots to the north and north east of Ras Kamboni is a

conflict zone involving Al Shabab insurgents which makes conservation plans impossible and

therefore needs the actions of state and national authorities and their security partners to

retake territory before any environmental conservation initiative is even discussed.

Hotspot was referred to as a place where there is a lot of biodiversity that is at risk. Sometime s ,

it is used to describe an area where there is severe risk of natural resource degradation.

A biodiversity hotspot is an area with many different species of plant, animals, or

insects interacting with physical surrounding.

An agro-environmental hotspot is an area where human agricultural activities are

having a detrimental impact on the environment. This affects the environment, and

makes agriculture less productive.

An environmental hotspot is an area where any natural resource is at risk. For instance

if the project is focused around reducing the risk of disasters due to floods, landslides,

droughts, or other natural hazards, these manifestation of natural resource at risk in the

area(environmental hotspot).

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Some natural resource management problems are natural such as flooding or gullying; others

are less dramatic and harder to see because they are more gradual such as the loss of topsoil.

Others are human induced/related such as slash and burn reducing vegetation cover,

cultivating on high gradient/slope ground exposing soil to erosion, overuse of agro-chemical

leading to pollution of ecosystems

1.8.4 Examples of common signs of hot spots

Erosion - Rills or gullies, Patches of bare, stony soil where the topsoil has been removed,

Exposed tree roots, Muddy water in streams and Accumulations of silt in flat areas

Water problems - Yellow or stunted crops, damaged canals and bunds, Dry wells and springs

and Areas at risk of landslides

Soil fertility problems - Bare, stony soil, Poor crop growth, abandoned fields, certain types of

weeds and Evidence of burning fields to clear brush, decreasing productivity (yields)

Deforestation Tree stumps and trees with branches hacked off, Land covered with bushes or

coarse grasses that cannot be used for grazing, Hills with trees only in small areas and evidence

of charcoal making

Loss of native habitat and declining biodiversity- Trends in land cover of native habitats,

changes in the number of different plant or animal species and loss of forests or “bush”,

replaced by houses and/or fields.

Technologies utilized in natural resource management

Agroforestry: land use practice that involves inclusion of trees, livestock and crops in farming

systems. The Agroforestry in farming systems can be categorized into; croplands, along soil

conservation structures, for windbreaks, around homesteads for shade and ornamental, in fruit

orchard and home gardens, for improved fallows using nitrogen fixing species and In cropland

or pasture land for fodder or browse. Agroforestry systems can use fruit trees such as Mangoes,

plums, citrus, pears, bananas, avocados and Timber trees such as Grevillea spp. casuarinas

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species. Aside from agroforestry, other technologies that can be used include integrated soil

and water management technologies summarized in the table below;

Table 1: Summary of integrated soil water conservation techniques

Type Tech. Description Condition Advantages Limitations

Zai holes Holes measuring approx. 30

cm wide and 15 cm deep

- Ideal for cereal

crops

Works well in arid area,

areas with silt and clay soils.

Traps moisture,

increase soil water

retention and

minimize soil

erosion

Labour intensive

Conservation tillage Entails minimal soil

disturbance

Examples include; Herbicide

selection and application

based on type of weed and

crop; minimal or no tillage;

mulching

Reduces labour

cost,

Conserve soil

moisture, improves

water

infiltration and

water holding

capacity, reduce soil

erosion, conserve

soil structure and

beneficial

biodiversity in soil

Requires knowledge and

skills, agricultural equipment

can be costly, overuse of

herbicide can be detrimental

to environments e.g.

pollution, some broad

spectrum herbicides can

destroy other beneficial plant

species, mulching can create

conditions for crop pests and

diseases

Semi-circular bands Earth bands in the shape of a

semi-circle

varying from structures

Ideal for fruit trees and

fodder crops

Suitable on gentle slope,

works well with deep non

saline soils

Easy to construct

Suitable for uneven

terrain

Increases soil

moisture

Controls erosion

Requires regular

maintenance

Retention ditch They are laid to captures

runoff from external

catchment

suitable on gentle slope

Reduce soil erosion

Holds runoff

Guards other

structure down

stream

Labour demanding

Requires regular

maintenance

Prone to overflow

Cover crop Used to cover the ground to

minimize water loss

Attractive for crops with

shallow roots.

Improves soil

fertility, reduce soil

erosion

Beneficial to crops with

shallow roots.

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1.8.5 Day 4 & 5: Developing an NRM Plan

The participants were informed that the NRM plan identifies;

Key challenges facing natural resources;

Sets current and future goals in utilization and management of natural resource;

Provides description of activities that affect natural resources both positively and

negatively including a timeline with dates and names of people responsible with the list

of resources required, including a budget if one is needed; and

Provides a set of indicators enabling community groups to measure successes and

challenges with regards to natural resource management.

1.8.6 How to prepare an NRM plan

The best way to prepare and implement NRM plan includes community engagement, formation

of community based groups for NRM, information gathering using Participatory Rural Appraisal

(PRA) and active participation from relevant community members.

An NRM plan should include:

Problems: The list of priority problems the group decides to solve

Solutions: The general strategy to overcome each problem

Activities: The specific activities needed to put the solutions into effect. Interventions

that will enhance community livelihoods e.g. income generating activities and

contribute to biodiversity conservation

Inputs: The cash, materials, labor and other inputs needed.

Location: Where the activities will take place. You can show this on your community

social-resource map, or another map of the community or watershed.

Person(s) responsible: The names of the individuals who will lead the work, and

everyone who will participate, along with their roles

Timing: The date the activity will begin, how long it will take, and when it will end. You

can draw up a calendar to show the timing of the various activities.

Budget: A good estimate of the costs or resources required to achieve the activities, and

where the resources will come from to implement them.

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Monitoring: How to make sure that the work is progressing – and if not, why not.

Youth representatives of Ras kamboni discuss with the team on development of an NRM plan photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF

1.8.6.1 Practical session to formulate NRM plan

The participants were split into 15 groups each comprising 20 members. In each group the

participants worked together in developing a NRM plan. The identified biodiversity hotspots in

the area, roles of various stakeholders in NRM, discussed the inputs and support needed to

establish NRM plan and proposed the formation of community based natural resource

managers to support in NRM.

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Groups discussing the content of the NRM plan photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF

1.9 Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and Water Catchment Improvement Interventions

1.9.1 Summary of the progress achieved

The baseline assessment recommended capacity building of the stakeholders on rain water

harvesting and the rehabilitation of the existing water pan in Ras Kamboni. Training was

conducted on rainwater harvesting technologies, various ways to access water including natural

catchments, manmade and water harvesting, use and management of water sources,

technologies used to access, collect and store water e.g. domestic rainwater harvesting, surface

catchment systems, small scale dams, micro catchment, external catchment systems (rainwater

harvesting). Groups sessions focused on; various technologies trained on, each group to coming

up with the best technology in the area based on what has been thought, discussion of

sustainability issues concerning water and appropriate management practices to mana ge the

water sources. The participants then came up with a proposal to the relevant authorities

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concerning the discussed water issues to lobby for support and inclusion into government

plans.

The existing water catchment is highly silted and needs rehabilitation, photo credit: Savana

Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

1.9.2 Details of the training

1.9.2.1 Day 1: General Background on Water and Somalia

Somalia is located in an extreme water scarce area, where most of the available water

resources exist in rivers shared with neighbouring countries and demand for water is increasing

due to the population and urban growth. Many sources of water in Somalia have been

damaged or have lacked maintenance since the outbreak of conflict in the early 1990s. Many

places in Somalia today, if someone wants water, he/she have to walk a long distance to find it

for family and/or animals. If found, one has to pay for it in many cases. And even then, it is

often dirty, and not suitable for human consumption. Millions of people have fled to other

areas due to conflict, abuse of their rights or drought/shortage of water and food. During the

past few years, Somalia has experienced flooding, droughts and overgrazing. Food security and

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clean water are issues of concern since there is little cultivation due to the vast areas of desert

or semi-desert.

Water shortage has been one of the major causes contributing to the ongoing civil war, a

determining factor in the fragile system of life in rural areas and one of the country's main

traditional sources of social conflict because of its scarcity. Similarly, Children’s health and

nutritional well-being are strongly linked to their access to safe water and proper sanitation and

hygiene. Unlike other countries in the region that have networks of rainwater harvesting

associations composed of diverse disciples relevant to the technology, Somalia is just beginning

to establish its own structure therefore, It is important to put in place more sustainable

solutions for water including rehabilitating boreholes/shallow wells, water catchments, and

improving the management of both water and sanitation facilities.

In Ras Kamboni area, access to water resource follows a similar pattern with the rest of the

country. Households have some access to shallow wells that are predominantly saline with

women and girls usually bearing the brunt of continuous search of water for their families. A 20

litre of fresh water in Ras Kamboni sells at 0.25 USD forcing children especially girls to be tasked

with fetching water. These have implications at other levels for instance on health and

education of the young who spend much of their time carrying loads of water on a daily basis.

Pastoralists have even more challenges as they need water for their animals and may be forced

to trek long distances especially in dry seasons whereby water related conflicts may arise

particularly when affected families cross the border with their animals putting pressure on the

scarce water and grazing points of the host community.

1.9.2.2 Day 2: Main Reasons for Water Crisis in Somalia

During this session participants were trained on the causes of water challenges including; lack

of funds and investments for water development, lack of Political stability/Conflicts, social

problems associated with access to natural resources and environmental related Disasters

such as drought and environmental degradation.

Proposal for mitigation of water related challenges

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Proper management of water resources; this involves protection of upstream aquifers,

desiltation of water pan, proper use of water sources and safeguarding the water points.

Government and donor support to establish and rehabilitate existing water bodies

Considering the local population in Ras Kamboni lacks the financial and technical skills to

establish water points, there is need for donor and government support in establishing and

maintaining the water points.

Building community capacity on use and sustainability of water resource

For effective utilization of the local community in management of water resources, capacity

building is necessary.

Stakeholder engagement in access, utilization and proper management of water

Identification and definition of the roles of different stakeholders in natural resource

management is a key step towards efficiency in accessing, utilization and management of

water resources.

1.9.2.3 Day 3: Indigenous technologies for RWH in Somalia

Table 2: Indigenous technologies for RWH in Somalia (SWALIM, FAO, 2007)

Somaliland Puntland S. Somalia

Technology Local name Technology Local name

Technology Local name

Cement water tank

Berkad Underground water tank

Berkad Cement water tank

Berkad

Bund Naxaroor/Xadhig

Natural water pond

Balli Underground reservoir

Ceel/Mugsid

Water pond/earth dam

Balley Water pond/earth

dam

Xurfad Water pond/earth

dam

War

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Somaliland Puntland S. Somalia

Hand well behind a dam

Ceel Well Ceel Natural water course

Tog

Spring IL Spring IL Flood diversion

Deshek

Roof water

harvesting

Majaroor Roof water

tank

Berkad

Guri

Natural

depression

Gal

Subsurface dam Doox xidh

Underground reservoir

Ceel/Mugsid

Natural ditch Dhiijan

Flood channel Deshek

Terrace

Plastic pond

Pit

1.9.2.4 Day 4. Examples of RWH in Somalia

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Desilted water pan in Ras Kamboni, Director Savanna consultancy limited seeking feedback from one of the direct beneficiary, photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

1.9.2.5 Day 4 and 5: Visit to the water point requested by the community for de-silting

Some technologies used in rain water harvesting in Somalia, photo credit: Savana Consultancy

Limited/OXFAM.

With regards to rehabilitation of the water pan, ICRAF supported in purchasing wheel barrows,

shovels and other materials to support in rehabilitation of the water pan to harvest rain water

and reduce water shortages in the area.

Savana consultancy mobilized local communities and the authorities on the need for harvesting

rain water at family and community levels as a sustainable way of availing much needed water

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resource in the dry periods. Fifty local men as a result participated in the de-siltation activity of

war serka catchment in the month of February, 2017 with a daily average incentive of $5 for

each worker. This was done in order to improve the capacity of the catchment as well as the

quality of the water to be harvested in the next rainy period. Severe temperatures in Ras

Kamboni and the prolonged emergency food conditions in the area has impacted the work time

every day as it was almost impossible to work more than 4-5 hours on each day. There was also

a need to transport workers to the area and provide water and food with tea at the break.

With the help of the local authority, and as a direct result of mobilization efforts, a contractor

working on a road project across the border agreed to further carry out some digging and

expansion on the water pan which is expected to considerably increase the current capacity.

This means things may well change for the better in terms of fresh water availability in the area

next season. Unfortunately contractor abandoned the work. It is reported that he was

threatened and told to halt the project by insurgent groups.

The water pan is situated on the Kenya Somalia border near Ras Kamboni, the war Sera water

catchment has the capacity to serve local population and their livestock in and around Ras

kamboni with fresh water in the rainy seasons and more importantly in the dry seasons. In

many instances, livestock herders from neighboring Kenya also use water from this water pan.

The inner basin measures approximately 20 m in width and 25 m in length and is roughly 2.2 m

deep. On the outer basin, the approximate measurements are 70 m long and 32 meters wide

with an estimated depth of 3.5 meters. The dimensions indicate the water pan has good

capacity to hold over 4 million liters using the aforementioned measurements once full and

supply much needed fresh water for several months. With proper management, it can

contribute to local resilience in the dry periods. During the rainy seasons, siltation occurs due

to localized soil erosion leading to reduced capacity to hold water therefore necessitating

regular de-siltation activities.

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Community members working on the warserka water catchment: Location (-1.632613, 41.56097) photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

Livestock keepers, more than any other livelihood group benefit from the catchment/ surface

dam while some agro-pastoralists practice farming activities near the catchment.

Meanwhile, in nearby Ras kamboni settlement, households rely on shallow wells for their

domestic water needs with families either sending members to fetch water or relying on water

vendors who use donkey carts to sell fresh water to households. A 20 liter jerry can cost up to

$0.25 or even more. Most of these wells or scoop-holes have fences around them but are not

protected at the mouth and hence dirty water or run-off water can easily flow into them during

water drawing or when it rains.

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Community members at work in the catchment photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

Unprotected water hole in Ras Kamboni seen here on the left. A similar shallow well in Odhow area is used to supply water to Burgavo, 50 km further north east. photo credit: Savana

Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

The other very important water catchment in the area, Mera Bannaan, is located 8-12 km

further north which serves a large area in comparison and according to many locals, needs

significant de-siltation. Of all the coastal archipelago regions, South of Kismayo, Ras Kamboni

and especially Odhow area seem to have better access to water than say Manarani and

Burgavo which seem to suffer more and who at the time of the pilot project, relied on water

trucking using vehicles whereby a 20 liter jerry can cost as much as a dollar.

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From Observation, many women and girls compared with men and boys spent more time

fetching water for household use, indicating the burden this places on the female members

who have traditionally more households’ chores to take care of.

1.10 Support Development of Honey Value Chain

The support for development of Biodiversity based value chains related to Ecosystem goods

and services focused on honey value chain. The participants informed the facilitators that in Ras

Kamboni, wild honey collection is practiced which pose a threat to biodiversity. The actors in

the sector are not organized and lack the adequate skills to handle the process. In this regard,

two training workshops were held; one in Kismayo and Ras Kamboni where skills in modern bee

keeping using modern Langstroth frame hives were introduced to participants. The trainees

were able to understand various concepts ranging from the classification of honey bees and

what actually takes place inside a hive, to harvesting and marketing of bee products. All the

stakeholders in honey value chain were also mapped and link in a value chain structure.

From the mobilization activity, bee keeping beneficiaries were selected and registered with the

local elders and leaders bringing the final list to 50 beneficiaries divided into groups of 5. Each

group was subsequently given one langstroth bee hive and the rest of the beekeeping gear

was handed to one group leader for sharing. With the help of two members that attended the

first training and with good experience, 6 out of 10 hives were colonized with bees in the two

weeks following the hive distribution.

The catching of bee swarms have been seriously affected by the severe drought raging through

the whole Somalia with bees migrating further inland where more trees exist and water could

be available.

During the first stage of mobilization where the team discussed the honey bee keeping. Many

residents were dismayed partly due to the high expectations created by previous organizations

that implemented interventions in the area, including the distribution of unconditional cash

and relief food. However, by the end of the mobilization and the demo workshops, almost

everyone in Ras Kamboni seriously wanted to take part. One fishing community that initially

made clear that beekeeping was not their kind of enterprise made a comeback to say that they

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erred in judgment and needed to be given a priority in the next phase. In all indication

therefore, the modern bee keeping system introduced in Ras Kamboni area will be a success in

the short term and more importantly in the long run.

1.10.1 Details of the training

The training sessions were subdivided into related topics with presentations. Participants

keenly followed the topics while the trainer included audio visual media where possible to

create a good grasp for the concepts. Each lecture was at the end followed by a question and

answer session where trainees asked for more clarification or shared their own experiences

with the rest of the participants.

1.10.1.1 Day 1: Session 1: Introduction to modern bee keeping and the honeybee

The training was officially opened by the director general of the ministry of water, minerals

and energy of Jubbaland state of Somalia Mr. Omar Ahmed who thanked the organizers and

the donors for facilitating the training and also pledged to provide support at state level.

Trainees were therefore taken through the basics of modern bee keeping and the facilitator

started with the theory part beginning with the honeybee that is at the centre of this particular

activity.

Honey bees are social insects, by working together the survival of all members of the colony

are ensured. Honey bees belong to the animal kingdom, Phylum Arthropoda, Order

Hymenoptera, class Insecta, family Apidae, genus Apis. The genus Apis is divided into several

species and sub-species/races but the training manual focus only Apis mellifera.

Honey bees are social insects that live in colonies of 10,000 to 80,000 bees. A colony consists

of a queen (fertile female), a few hundred drones (males) and thousands of workers (sterile

females). The queen is leader of the colony and responsible hive reproduction. The different

sort of bee in the colony their work in the hive was described to trainees as indicated below

described below:

Queen:

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The Queen bee is a reproductive female. There is only one queen in the hive and her job is to

lay eggs between 1,500 - 2,000 eggs per day. When a new queen born in the hive and starts life,

she mates only once with drones outside the hive. If climatic conditions permit, the queen will

make a mating flight around five or six days after emergence. She will start to lay eggs 36 hours

or more after a successful mating flight, usually more after three days. The life span of queen is

4-5 years and after two years start to lay few eggs and beekeepers have to pay attention to the

age of queen and change queen after three years in order to keep the hive production

maximum. Queen is largest bee sort in the colony due to massive feeding with royal jelly during

the development at the larvae stage. The queen controls the colony and releases pheromones

to inform the member of the colony that she is still alive and undertakes her duty of egg laying

and others has go after their work in order thrive the bee colony.

Drones

The Drones are males that develop from unfertilized eggs and their only task is to mate with

the queen during initiation new colony. There are about 500 drones in a hive and are bigger

than the workers. They have very large eyes which are used to spot the Queen during mating.

Drones do not collect food due to shorter proboscis and are dependent on the workers for

food. The worker chase the drones out of the hive to die during the food shortage and their

lifespan is usually not more than 2 months

The Workers

Workers are all sterile females and constitute the largest group in a hive. The worker bees’

change tasks according to age. Young worker bees clean the hive, feed both young and the

Queen, make the beeswax combs and guard the hive. Older workers lookout for food and

collect the nectar, pollen, propolis and water. The workers are responsible for the honey

formation process and defence of the colony against enemies. Worker lifespan is 7-8 weeks

during the main flowering season when they work hard, however, they can live longer during

dormant period.

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One of the training participants seeking clarification from Dr. Osman Gedow, standing on the left side, photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

Life cycle of honey bee

Honey bee start life as a small egg laid by the queen in the wax cells. After three days, the egg

hatches and becomes tiny larvae in open cell, young workers start to feed first on royal jelly

and then mixture of honey and pollen grain. After five days the development of worker larvae

is completed and the cell is capped and the larvae begin to pupate in which it gradually

changes into an adult bee. The bee chews through the wax wall and emerge as an adult. The

drone larvae need to develop six day to the capping stage.

Table 3: Life cycle of honey bees

Egg Larvae Pupae Total

Queen 3 6 6-7 16

Worker 3 6 11-12 21

Drone 3 6-8 12-13 24

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Beekeeping system

The human’s relation to the honeybee started quite long with honey hunting forest and

woodland. People learn the important of honey for their national and start to exert some

degree of control to the bees in order to reduce unpredictability of harvesting honey from the

wild colonies, and begin to own and manage the bee hives. There are three stages of from

traditional to the modern beekeeping system and include:-

Honey hunting and opportunistic collection

This method involves search bee colonies in the forest and woodland without knowing the

location of the colonies. Once a good colony is found, the hunter and gatherer kills all bees or

chase them from the trees, cliffs or in the earth where they have brood and honey. He

destroys structure that houses bee and remove the combs which contains honey and larvae

and pupae (brood). The hunter uses honey and leaves the brood which is consumed by the

Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis)). This honey hunting and gathering method is destructive to

the bee colonies as well as to the environment.

Bee Swarm Trap

This is semi-housing or providing of empty log, grass or clay made houses to attract free living

bees. Log is positioned top on the tree trunk and attracting incenses may be applied to attract

bees. Combs containing honey are identified and removed periodically. The bee owner

provides protection and maintains the colony for future harvest without destroying it. This

allows him to return colony and harvest honey periodically as well as other hive products such

as wax, pollen, and propolis.

Modern beekeeping

The modern beekeeping system is based on manipulation and management of hive without

destruction of colony brood. There are two hive designs use in eastern African countries and

they are include:-

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Top bar hive: this is a box with a series of wood bars arranged side by side along the upper part

of box. Inside the box is empty and bees are encourages to construct their combs from the

under site of the wood bars. The movability of bars allows the beekeeper to lift the each bar

and check if it contains ripe honey and removed for harvesting. This hive is very simple and it

good for honey and wax harvesting.

Frame hive: Frame hive is a box with 9-11 movable frames. This type of hive gives beekeeper

to manipulate and manage the compartment of hive without destroying brood or honey

storage area of the hive. Honey extract of such hive needs specialized machinery to harvest.

Beewax yield from the movable frame hive is very low compared to top bar hives, becaus e the

structure in brood and honey compartment is fixed once and no need removing or changing

wax for several years.

Factors affecting quality of honey and other honey products

Honeybee pests and Diseases and parasite management

Apiary management; colony Inspection

Colony Cycle and Seasonal Management; Swarming

Feeding honeybees, bee forage

1.10.1.2 Day 2: Beekeeping Equipment

Many different types of equipment are used in beekeeping industry right from the apiary

through harvesting, processing and packaging to transporting and storage of hive products.

Beekeeping equipment include beehives, harvesting gear, processing gear, storage and

transportation facilities.

Woven basket hive: the woven baskets vary in shape, form, size type of materials prepared or

made. They are made leaves of palm trees or reed grass.

Log hive: this tree trunk removed the inner part and has cylindrical in shape. Both end have

opening which is closable and the entrance is made on one side of cylindrical tree trunk.

Clay hive: this is made from baked clay soil and has different shape and size. The entrance bees

is small hole made at one end.

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Langstroth hive: a Langstroth hive is any vertically modular compartment bee hive that fits

inside the box 9-11 frames and named after the found of Langstroth in 1852.

Some participants holding the lang-stroth hive provided by ICRAF through the IGAD BMP project, photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

Day 3: Bee harvesting gear

Session 1:

Bee harvesting gear

Smokers: this is made on galvanized metallic sheet and has different in shape and size. It has

chamber where you can burn grass or husk to produce smoke.

Bee suit: Consists of an overall and a head veil; the overall is made of white or yellow khaki

material with a head veil attached to it. The net of the head veil is made out of strong black

nylon material in order to have good vision and ventilation. The hat of the veil consists of the

same khaki material of the overall with a round stretching stiff ring of approximate diameter of

42 cm.

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Bee gloves: the gloves is made of soft leather material or soft latex gloves, joined with a piece

of strong cloth to protect the hand. The beekeeper is urged to acquire gloves to ensure that he

works with little or no difficulty protected from bee stinging.

Gum or leather boots: the boot is made to protect the sting of bees on your leg and feet while

you are working at the hive. When they are not available, a pair of light shoes and thick white

socks can be worn.

Hive tool set: the hive tool Consists of a bee brush and hive opener. The hive opener is made

flat iron bar and used to detach the frames and become movable within the hive while the bush

needed to remove bees on the frames.

One of the participant dressed in harvesting gear provided by ICRAF through IGAD BMP, photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

Session 2:

Bee processing Equipment

Modern beekeeping system need to use machinery for harvesting and processing quality

honey and include:-

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Centrifuge extractor: the centrifuge is ready made machine and made stainless steel. They

have extracting capacity of 3 to 8 frames and they are manual and electric operatory.

Bucket and sieves: every beekeeper needs to have clean buckets with capacity of 20kg for easy

transport or lifting. They also need double sieve for cleaning the honey before pouring in the

marketing containers.

Harvesting bucks lined with muslin clothe for squeezing out the honey.

Other hive products: beeswax, propolis, bee venom, pollen, royal jelly, brood etc.

Honey and other products packaging, branding and marketing

Record keeping

Practical training on frame hives

Instructor has to show how the frames are fixed and wired so the new beekeepers know

the wire and inner wax fixing procedures.

If the hive is knockdown model, the instructor has to assemble of hive from the floor,

brood chamber, honey chamber and protective cover.

Bee hive population is very important step of beekeeping and it has to be dealt very

thoroughly so the beekeeper understand populating bee hive and swam catching

techniques.

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The instructor also need to show how the centrifuges are used and de-capping ways of

frames as well as purification of honey before marketing.

Day 4 and Five: Honey Value Chains and Market Management

Forming honey value chain development group(s): production and marketing

Development of honey value chain. This may include better packaging and surveying of new

markets where increased revenues could be generated. Employing stringent hygiene measures

also raises the profile and further improves value.

Trained community members share knowledge with community groups on modern keeping.

Source, field photo, Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF

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Honey Value Chain groups at hive distribution site, photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

7. Challenges Encountered In Implementing the BMP Project Activities

Implementing the pilot biodiversity programme in Ras Kamboni entailed quite some challenges

and some of them can be listed below:

Accessibility challenges: Ras Kamboni has limited accessibility due to Al shabab insurgent

activities in the Southern part of Somalia. Hence it can be safely accessed only by sea or

through the border with Kenya

Severe drought in the area and its effects have demoralized residents hence difficulty in

directing people's attention to environmental issues and alternative livelihood strategies

One of the key challenges in the area is the perception created by the visiting NGOs

whereby it is evident from the people's expectations that some kind of dependence on

NGO now exists, so much so that people are not ready to tackle local problems and believe

some NGO will come and bring funds for every specific problem they experience.

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Transport and accessibility is one of the many challenges in Ras Kamboni, photo credit: Savana Consultancy Limited/ICRAF.

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8. Recommendations

There is dire need for all stakeholders to find timely solution to the water situation

in the accessible parts of Laga Badana Bush Bush in the shortest time possible. This

could include drilling of strategically located boreholes and the introduction of

concrete rainwater harvesting strategies including initiating new water dams and

distribution of tanks for maximizing water harvests . This could be key for subsequent

initiatives including establishing of tree nurseries and reversing desertification.

It is recommended that a scale up of the honey value chain input distribution and

capacity building be carried out once the drought ends. This will consolidate the

gains on the ground and motivate many people to divert from environmentally

harmful coping mechanisms and contribute to the overall poverty reduction goal.

The local authorities and the Central government in Somalia with internal or

external assistance, need to prioritize the area in terms of infrastructure

development and service delivery (e.g.; Education and health) and improve security

outside the coastal belt.

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List of participants

Name Contact

Jaji Shee Abdi 0618187496

Omar Mzee Ahmed 0618586090

Said Yusuf Said 0615060280

Musawa Taibu Ali 0618213939

Said Omar Sharif 0618671147

Omar Bwana Ahmed N/A

Abdi yusuf Maalim 0618213909

Mohamed Abdalla Musa 0617800214

Abdirizak Mohamed Musa

Ismail Abdala Wasir

Ali Bahero Musa 0618670582

Mohamed Bakar Shahib 06`5061191

Ali Hussein Sheli

Yusuf Husen Sheli

Musa Lali Musa 0618673963

Ahmed Siraji Shehe

Bakar Mohamed Musa

Mohamed Tibu Haji

Baa Haji Mohamed Mahdi 0617800192

Ali Shelal Hassan 0618213914

Shehe Omar Shehe 0618708817

Musa Ahmed Madi 0618586875

Hadi Mohamed Masuwa 0168213780

Kupi Shehe Mote `

Lali Hussen Lali

Maxamed Bakar Cusmaan

Twalib Bahaji Mohamed 0618586859

Abdii Samedi Bahero 0618583632

Abdi Tibu Haji 0617551101

38

Ali Muhdar Ali 0618671081

Mowlana Sharif Ali 0618583560

Ali Osman Hasan 0618671923

Ahmed yusuf Adamu 0616629463

AliTtawligu Ali 0618671072

Shelal Banu Arabu 0618584780

Hassan Omar Shee 0618821341

Mohamed Sheekhal Hasan

Mohamed Musa Haji 061586928

Shaali Shaban Faki 0618584778

Hashimu Shariif Ali 0618586688

Shali Lali Sheli 0615412565

Adiyo Ismail Ali 0612057351

Mohamed Ali Hamadi 0612190870

Hasan Sefu Abdala

Sadiki Sheli Musa 0617989054

Famau Shee Mote

Mohamed Musa Shaali 0616821577

Ahmed Idiris Ahmed 0618586690

Adamu Mohamed Siraji 0618585227

Shali Moalimu Shali 0618213526

Yasin Taha Masuwa 0615161871

Hasan Sheel Hasan 0618671741

Shee Maadi Ali 0618275178

Ali Musa Shekal 0618275268

Mahdi Ahmed Siraji

Mohamed Adan Husen

Abdirashid Ibraahin Maadeey

Ahmed Mohamed Ali

Abdirahman Nuur Ismaan

Iftiin Ibraahin Dhi'is

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Maaida Barre Idiris

Mohamed Musa Shariif

Osman Dira Shahibu

Abulahi Osman Musa 0618398292

Harun Mohamed Tula

Halidi Ismail Ali

Hussen Adiyo

Maryamu Bili Bare 0618583543

Asiya Dahir Osman 0618585589

Sakiina Abdala Wasiir 0617770177

Maryan suleman Mohamed

Soda Abdikadir Saalah

Wayamenye Abdi Shali

Fadumo Mohamed Saalah

Zaynabu Faki Shebun

Hindu Mohamed Bakar 0618586903

Haziji Adam Siraji 0612190829

Fadumo Osman Hasan 616229743

Ika Ismail Faman 0618221592

Mwnase Mohamed Tibu 0615685501

Sahra Lali Shali 0615292016

Hawa Abdi Shehe `

Eisha Shariif Xuseen

Haliimo Hamid Shali 0618398276

Shamusi Sharif Bohol 0619059689

Tima Shalali Hasan

Nuru Mohamed Siraji

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Participants of Honey Value Chain Training In Kismayu for IRDO and Savana

Name Organization Contact

Abdullahi Mohamed Mustafa Savana 616278988

Mohamed Noor Omar IRDO 619108255

Abdinafa Hassan Omar IRDO 612028559

Sahal Abdulahi Yusuf Omar Ministry of Energy, Water and Mineral resources 615290826

Adan sha’ban Mose Omar Ras kamboni 615633561

Mohamed Bayle Muhumad Burgabo 618837771

Siyaad Bashir Omar Burgabo 618060001

Mo’alim nor BASHIR Ras kamboni 615180025

Ibrahim Mo’alin Ali Savana 618440438

Fardowsa Osman Isak Ministry of Energy, Water and Mineral resources 615534992

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Appendix 1: Aerial view of environmental degradation in Ras kamboni area