The farmers in Annayo grow a variety of crops. And they also face a variety of challenges - every day is different, every morning a new puzzle to work out. Sickles help solve a few pieces of the puzzle. They can be used for cutting long grasses and cereals, but they can also be used for small-scale weeding and clearing unwanted plants. However the farmers will use them, having the tool was the most important part. So we made sure all twenty farms received sickles to complete their toolkit! Now, the farmers will have a full set of tools: shovels, hoes, axes, rakes, loppers, shears, and now, sickles. So many options - so many ways to solve a problem! Abdi Mohammud told us about the different projects on his farm that he juggles, and how multiple tools will go a long way in securing a livelihood for his family. "My father established the farm in the late 1960s, but he recently passed away and I am now the head of our household," he said. "I have some cattle, some … [Read more...] about Last Piece of the Puzzle

If you’ve ever tried to cut a small tree branch with a pair of scissors, you’ll know how difficult that endeavor can be. So when scissors just won’t cut it, we turn to garden shears. Lucky for us, we could get proper shears for all of the farmers in Annayo to use to ensure they can cut, prune and manage all plants big and small on their farms! In a farming community like Annayo, desert weather leads to tough plants that are hard to beat, but with every farm housing a set of loppers and set of shears, they’ll be able to manage these plants and tend to the land in the way they want to. "We have lots of land but we cannot grow anything else because there are too many bushes and trees in the way," said farmer Nimo Adan. With these shears in hand, Nimo will unlock access to all the land he needs! This change made possible by Mankind is My Business. … [Read more...] about Shear Fun

Driving through the Somali countryside, you can pick out giant mango trees along the road. In some communities, these mango trees might be 40 or 50 years old, with deep roots and plenty of shade. In some cases, they’ll grow to 90 feet high and 80 feet wide. In Annayo, we saw many mango trees and would often find ourselves sitting under the oldest trees to meet and talk with people. And many of these farms had an abundance of fruit trees — mango, papaya, lemon, orange, a lemon-orange hybrid we’d never before seen or tasted! But to make an orchard thrive, the trees need to be pruned and cared for. If they aren’t, the weight of the fruit might cause a branch to break off or, in the worst case, for the tree to topple over and die. To help the farmers deal with this problem, we bought all twenty farms loppers! The loppers had long arms, so the farmers can reach even some of the tallest spots on many of their trees. "With more tools, we will be able to have more people … [Read more...] about Bearing Fruit

A barber has many gadgets for clipping, shaving, and shaping - farmers and gardeners are no different. They need the same sorts of options to manicure and maintain their land. And when the farmers we spoke with in Annayo expressed a need for more tools, we wanted to make sure we covered all of the bases. So today, we’ve gotten all of the farmers rakes! The farmers use these tools to break up clumps of soil, pull out stones, debris, and weeds. They can be used to prepare land that’s never before been used. And, they can also work to combat the effects of climate change by mixing fertilizer and compost or spreading mulch over the soil to retain moisture and improve its quality. "I used to be a pastoralist, but then I switched to agriculture in the late 1990s and for this reason, my farm isn’t quite as established and strong as many others," said Ahmed Hassan Mohammed. "We have faced a lot of challenges because of this — the land isn’t well prepared, the well is not as … [Read more...] about Raking It In

Securing a bountiful harvest is hard work. The farmers in Annayo know this all too well... There are weeds to keep away, lots of land to prepare for planting, crops to thin, and so much more. A pickaxe can do a lot to ease some of the burden. They can be used to break up rocky and hardened surfaces, or to cut tough roots that might be getting in the way. No matter what they're used for, a new pickaxe in hand helps farmer put a little more muscle behind even their toughest tasks. This one was simple...20 pickaxes went to 20 farms in Annayo! By providing all of the farms with these extra supplies, they'll be better able to use all of the labor available to them on the farm, helping them maximize their yield and make the most of what the land has to offer. … [Read more...] about Axe and You Shall Receive

Successful farmers have many tools in their back packet to pull from. You never know what each day or season could bring, so having options is certainly key. The last few days we've tackled the issue, bringing farmers in Annayo some of the tools they need to do their job the best they can. And as we had more conversations with farmers and their families, one thing was clear - everybody was getting a garden hoe! The gardening hoes can be used to shape soil, remove weeds, clear soil, dig a hole or harvest some root crops. Watching a Somali farmer work with a gardening hoe can be an amazing sight, as their expertise and skill let them dig a hole big and wide enough to plant a seedling in a minute or two! "We are four brothers who inherited our family farm. I am the oldest, but we all own the farm together," said Abdi Qawdan. "I often feel like we have more family than tools to work on the farm." Today, we helped to solve that problem for Abdi - another step on the … [Read more...] about How Does Your Garden Grow?

Sometimes we find ourselves sitting around on our hands, not because we don’t want to help, but because we don’t have the tools to do so. This problem was very real to many of the farmers we spoke with in Somalia. We heard people talk about having children and grandchildren who could help on the farm, but not enough supplies to have all hands on deck during the busiest parts of the year—especially preparing the land for the rainy season, planting, and harvesting. Plus, having the right tools can really help farmers take back control of some of the effects of a changing climate. "Before, my farm had really rich and nutritious soil, but the soil has lost lots of nutrients and its ability to retain water," said Mohammed Ahmed Askar, one of the farmers we worked with. "In order to be more efficient and to control for floods, I would love more tools we can use for flood control." Something that could help? Shovels! We bought shovels for all of the farms - a versatile … [Read more...] about Digging Deeper

We’re all familiar with that feeling of wishing we had three or four arms to juggle everything we want to carry. Farmers are particularly acquainted with this feeling, sometimes hauling tools, seeds, manure, and more around over the span of a few hours. We wanted to alleviate some of this need in Annayo...and wheelbarrows were just the ticket! Wheelbarrows can be used in so many different settings — to carry manure, transport tools, or even carry a sick goat or sheep that needs to be brought somewhere. Not only that, wheelbarrows are low maintenance and easy to maintain. "Wheelbarrows are a useful tool for all the farms," said Roble Abdi Muse from the ARC team. "Most of the farmers need it to transport manure, but it can also be used for tools and other supplies." This change made possible by Mankind is My Business. … [Read more...] about Free Wheelin’

In Somalia, livestock, and sheep in particular, are at the center of daily life. They're used for meat and milk, but also so much more - sheep can be used to buy necessary household items or even pay for a child’s education. Wool can be sheered, bones and hooves can be used to make buttons and other supplies, and, in general, they provide a greater sense of security for families. Sheep were a need brought up consistently by the families we interviewed in Annayo. So we decided to do something about it, getting some farmers more sheep to help form a foundation of stability in the community. We were able to buy sheep for families who were already taking care of livestock, and had the supplies and skills to do so. Many of the sheep we bought replaced sheep that had died during the 2017 drought, and the farmers we spoke with were so grateful. "There is a cultural value set on live stock in this region," said Rahma Ismail from the ARC team in nearby Hargeisa. "They mean a lot … [Read more...] about As Ewe Like It

Welcome back to Somalia! We’re in Annayo, a small farming community in the northern part of the country. The next thirty days will be all about Annayo - boosting these farmers' confidence that every season will provide enough bounty to support their families. We kicked off the month by talking to farmers - they told us what their needs were, and we brainstormed some ideas for how best to respond. One theme we saw come up time and time again was the need for more livestock - for manure for crops, milk to sell in the market, meat for the family, or to produce offspring that they could sell for income. So, what better place to start than by responding to this number one need...getting these farmers some goats! This community was heavily impacted by the recent droughts in 2017, and is still feeling many of the repercussions of the water shortage. Many people lost not only crops but livestock, trees and more. An infusion of more goats will help these families get back on … [Read more...] about Got Your Goat