Seeds of Strength

In Bula Qalooc village in Dollow district, limited access to water, recurring climate shocks and constrained agricultural resources have long undermined household food security. For many families, including Maama Maryan Mohamud's, producing food consistently has simply not been possible.

At 35, and a member of a seven-person household, Maryan belongs to a Mother-to-Mother support group and to a permagardening initiative supported by Lifeline Gedo in partnership with Irish Aid.

“My goal is to produce enough food to meet the needs of my family and contribute to the community.”

Maama Maryan Mohamud

Small plot, bio-intensive method

The initiative supported community members to adopt sustainable, bio-intensive farming practices designed to get the most out of a very small piece of land. It combined training in permagardening and climate-smart agriculture with access to a diverse range of crops — maize, sorghum, beans, groundnuts, onions, carrots, spinach and lettuce — and organised farmer groups and Mother-to-Mother networks that made peer learning part of the method rather than an add-on.

The decisive piece was water. A water treatment unit gave the village reliable, safe water for irrigation. With her farm close to both her home and that water source, Maryan's efficiency and output rose sharply; she could irrigate properly, avoid the risks of unsafe water and lift her yields.

What the group changed

Participation did more than build farming skill. It raised Maryan's confidence, and she now contributes far more to what her household eats and is optimistic about the family's finances. Around her, the Mother-to-Mother group and permagardening network have become a channel for women to share knowledge, experience and encouragement — strengthening social cohesion and putting women squarely inside the village's livelihood activities.

“I am deeply grateful to everyone who has supported and participated in this effort. This initiative has made a real difference, and we are committed to continuing the work.”

Maama Maryan Mohamud

Maryan intends to expand. With the skills, the water and the group behind her, permagardening has turned a constrained plot into a dependable source of food — and a demonstration to the rest of Bula Qalooc of what the method can do.