Somalia is not only about wars, illegal charcoal export, illegal fishing, corruption, etc., Somalia is a rich pastoralist nation and there are real opportunities in combined renewable energy and livestock farming. Here is the solution.
ENVIRONMENT AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR PASTORALISTS
Tayo [Solar] Solutions is building climate-resilient pastoral communities in Somalia by managing the risks of climate change through:
1. Restoration of Ecosystems for the drylands by growing of new and indeginous drought-resistant grass and trees for fodder production and for climate change mitigation
2. Land Management practices such as rotational and zero grazing
3. Use of the abundant renewable energy of solar for water pumping that is needed for crop and fodder production and for livestock watering
4. Installation and use of drip irrigation systems for water conservation
5. Facilitation of bee keeping for economic diversification and for aiding plant reproduction in the drylands
6. Offering of financing system that use livestock as equity and as payment method
7. decarbonizing the livestock sector by use of renewable energy, tall regenerating grass and trees
Following are the 10 steps for successful investment procedures:
1. Elders Meeting for Climate Impacts and Adaptation Possibilities
The pastoralists who are taking part in the project are required to construct their own water well, or have water source from a river or water well or at least finance a water well construction. Elders provide consent for the project and the site of the rangeland. Pastoralists sign an agreement to accept the terms of investment and are willing to pay back the invested capital in the time frame agreed. Each rangeland will be headed by the lead nomad person who collects the livestock to sell for loan repayment
2. Installation of Solar Power for Water Pumping System
Climate-Smart Pastoralism (CSP) is Solar-powered drip Irrigation System used for fodder production. Electricity generated by solar photovoltaic (PV) panels is used to operate pumps for the abstraction, lifting and/or distribution of irrigation water to fill a reservoir during the day.
The essential components of CSP are:
I. Array of solar panels,
II. Mounting structure for the solar panels,
III. Pump and pump controller,
IV. Reservoir,
V. Pipes for delivering water from the well to the reservoir, and
VI. Drip irrigation pipes and accessories.
The solar irrigation system will belong to Tayo Solutios untill it is fully paid by the particpating pastoralists
3. Installation of the pumping system at the Source
Water source can be from a river, or a harvested rain water where the pump is installed to float 1 meter depth of the water body. The floater allows to move up and down in accordance with the water level. When the water reservoir or the river dries up the system is switched off.
The DC pump has the following features:
I. Maximum pumping volume of 40m3/h,
II. Maximum dynamic height of the water lifting system is 30m
III. Can irrigate 1 ha of land per day on flooding irrigation or 4 ha of land on drip irrigation,
IV. Warranty: 5 years.
4. Building of Water Reservoir and Watering Troughs
5. Setting up Drip Irrigation System
Dripping pipes are laid on the ground spacing them 2m apart as the grass will need space to grow on the sides
6. Planting of Grass from cuttings or from seeds
A total of 6400 regenerative grass and trees are planted for fodder production. The grass will be harvested for a minimum of 15 years
7. Training of operators in solar operations and irrigation
Operators are trained on how to operate and maintain the solar pumping and irrigation system
8. Harvesting of the Grass every 2 months
9. Payment of invested loan from sales of livestock
The participating community pay 1 USD for every goat that gets pasture and water for 1 month. The head og the rangeland who is the operator and with paid salary will assure that the livestock is sold every month and the loan is paid back
10. Investing in the next rangeland using income from previous rangelands
Tayo Solutions in attaining the UN SDGs
