Somalia_Snapshot_PEG_Fodder_ _Livestock.pdf

Somali Livestock Opportunities USAID’s Partnership for Economic Growth supports Somali small livestock business

Ph ot o co ur te sy o f N ic ho la s Pa rk in so n

In 2009, Hamsa Haji Hussain returned from the United Kingdom to the small town of Beer in Somaliland to manage over 3000 hectares of farmland inherited from his father.

Hamsa had earned a degree in business administration in the UK and started an enterprise there. “But I always knew I was going to come back home and follow in my father’s footsteps.”

When Hamsa first saw his land, he was shocked at the contrast with England’s lush countryside. “But once the rain fell, I saw the river flow and realized the potential. I was surprised.”

The terrain is well suited for grazing livestock as well as for growing hay for fodder. Fodder is an essential part of Somaliland’s multi-million dollar livestock trade, which accounts for over 60 percent of

GDP.

Having invested his savings--and with no commercial banks in Soma-liland--Hamsa wondered how he might grow the business. Then, in January 2012, he learned of USAID’s Partnership for Economic Growth’s grants competition.

Hamsa developed a detailed business plan, which passed the Part-nership’s rigorous tests, and won a grant for $45,000. He invested $251,000 of his own funds.

Today Hamsa employs hundreds of seasonal workers, benefiting the Beer and nearby communities. He plans for his business to steadily generate more employment for both casual and full-time, skilled workers in the coming years.

Hamsa’s efforts bring benefits beyond the business. “We believe in creating community cohesion,” he says. “Once we harvest the grass-es, we let local pastoralists graze on the land, because it brings us closer to our neighbors.”

USAID’s Partnership for Economic Growth program, a $13 million initiative, supports stabilization by investing in the local economy and strengthening the livestock, farming, and energy sectors.

Hamsa and his employees load hay for export from Berbera Port

For more info contact: Marybeth McKeever:

mmckeever@usaid.gov

1-7-2013