A rocky, bumpy and very dusty mountainous terrain is the road that leads you to Ruki, a small rural village in Somaliland. Ruki is a two hour drive from Boroma town which borders Ethiopia, Djibouti, the Somalian region of Woqooyi Galbeed, and the Gulf of Aden. So what would you do with three hectares of bare land in this area? Would you even think of subsistence agriculture let alone commercial agriculture? Maybe not, but Dur dur, a Farmer Organization, has exceeded all expectations and defied the odds to commercially farm onions, tomatoes, water melon and hot pepper in a region many consider a bare wasteland!

From under the shade of a lone tree, the members narrate the amazing tale of the formation, growth, successes and challenges of a group that has now become the icon of success in Ruki. Dur dur Farmer Organization started in 2012 with about 30 members but now boasts of a strong membership of 90 (79 men and 11 women). The group was formed when Farm Concern International (FCI), a market development organization whose mission is to commercialize smallholder farmers across Africa, came to implement the Rural Commercialization and Markets programme in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). At this point, the farmers were trying to individually grow different crops to feed their families with little success. 

The chairman of this group, Bashir Muhammed, shares that “they started when several Farmer Field Schools answered FCI’s call to come together.” They then proceeded to set up rules and develop a constitution which effectively set up the Farmer Organization. Bashir explains that “one of the major problems was that the individual farmers grew crops that were ‘wrong’ for the market.” This changed after market commercialization training by FCI field staff; the farmers identified and adopted five priority crops i.e. Onions, water melons, tomatoes, sweet melon and hot pepper. These crops are consumed highly in the region and as such, fetch the best of prices in the market. 

At the inception of the programme, the group only had ¼ of a hectare under cultivation, 2 years later they proudly farm 3 hectares. Each household in the group has 2 hectares of land under cultivation meaning that the total land under production is a whopping 180 hectares! The group produces 540,000 kilograms of onion during the peak season and 32,400 kilograms during off peak. The produce from tomato is 630,000 kilograms during peak and 45,000 kilograms during off peak season while 700 pieces of water melon are produced during peak season and 200 pieces produced during off peak. Each water melon weighs an average 2 kilograms adding up to 1,260,000 kilograms during peak season and 360,000 kilograms produced off peak season. 

A kilogram of onion sells at USD 0.75 thus earning the group USD 405,000 during peak season and USD 24,300 during off peak. From tomatoes, Dur dur Farmer Organization sells a kilogram at USD 0.5 thus making USD 315,000 and USD 22,500 during peak and off peak seasons respectively. Water melons fetch the group USD 2,520,000 during peak and USD 720,000 in off peak season. Cumulatively, the farmers make USD 3,240,000 during the peak season and USD 766,800 during the off peak season. 

The biggest expenditure is in fuel costs, which accounts for 70% of the total income. From the trainings given by FCI field staff, the farmers here now understand the concept of saving. Out of the total income realized, at least 20% is saved to the group’s account. The rest of the income, 10%, is used for family sustenance, input and seed sourcing, buying pesticides and transport costs. The group hopes to get a water pump that uses solar so as to cut on the money used for fuel.  They were recently facilitated with a storage container by FAO. This container will greatly reduce post-harvest losses. It will also be a source of income for the group as other groups can now store their produce in it for a fee.

Dur dur Farmer Organization is proof that the spirit of collective action can and is changing the lives of smallholder farmers across Africa!

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