FAO - Building Resilience in Middle Shabelle (BRiMS)

The following summary achievements have been recorded: - Secondary canal rehabilitated: 8.15 kilometers rehabilitated - Number of farmers served for rehabilitated canals: Approximately 1,000 farming households benefited - Number of irrigation management committees identified, formed, and assessed: 4 groups (comprising 85 members) - Hectares of area mapped: 529,000 ha of riverine agricultural land mapped FAO has been working on the following during the extension phase: Through the BRiMS phase 1b project, 8.15 kilometers out of a target of 12.1km secondary canals have already been rehabilitated since September 2024. The rehabilitated secondary canals have been able to support approximately 1,100 hectares of farmland, benefiting around 1,000 farming households. These farming households are now able to engage in their farming activities throughout the year due to improved access to water. Four irrigation management committees, comprising 85 members, have been identified, established, and trained in September 2024 in Jowhar. These committees are now actively managing the rehabilitated secondary canals in collaboration with their respective village development committees. The irrigation committees have reported positive outcomes, including a reduction in water loss and wastage, enhanced efficiency in water distribution for irrigation among farmers, and a decrease in conflicts over irrigation water usage. These improvements highlight the committees vital role in promoting sustainable irrigation practices among the targeted farmers. In October 2024, the projects technical team conducted a Training of Trainers (ToT) on Climate-Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices, agribusiness, irrigation management, and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for 8 Extension Officers from the Federal and Hirshabelle Ministries of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI) in Jowhar. The training enhanced the knowledge and skills of the government staff on innovative agricultural practices. This training not only enhanced the knowledge and skills of the government staff but also prepared them to train the project target beneficiaries. As a result, farmers are expected to adopt modern innovative agricultural practices, increase crop yield, and contribute to long-term agricultural sustainability in the region. FAOs SWALIM team has developed a land cover methodology, and a legend based on the ISO-certified FAO LCCS3 standard. In August 2023, a training workshop on the methodology and legend was held in Nairobi, led by an expert from FAO HQ. The workshop involved 12 participants from MoAI-FGS, SNBS, MoE, MoLFR, and IMC. Following the workshop, the land cover methodology and legend were finalized. These tools have since formed the foundation for ongoing land cover mapping, conducted through on-the-job training for 16 staff members from MoAI-FGS, Southwest, and Hirshabelle States. The training, which began in October 2024 and will conclude in April 2025, focuses on mapping riverine agricultural areas and collecting agricultural field data. To date, the government staff have gained essential mapping skills and successfully mapped 529,000 Ha and the field work is ongoing and set to concluded in mid-January 2025. Designing effective local early warning systems requires incorporating local knowledge. Between October and December 2024, FAOs SWALIM team has developed a tool to gather indigenous weather forecasting knowledge under the broader JOSP, informed by an extensive literature review. Even though this is not a direct output under BRIMs, the tool will be applied in the design of community based EWS and DRR plans.

This project is aligned with FAOs Strategic Framework, specifically Strategic Objective 5: Increase resilience of livelihoods to threats and crisis. The anticipated impact of the project is Increased resilience and production capacity for smallholder farmers in accessible areas of Middle Shabelle. The Building Resilience in Middle Shabelle (BRIMS) project aims to address recurrent drought and flooding challenges along the Shabelle River. The specific expected outcomes of the project are: 1. Water access is restored and protection from flooding is increased in irrigated areas; 2. Farmers are aggregated for enhanced resilience; 3. Capacity of public institutions supporting water management and agricultural production is enhanced.