Action Against Hunger, in partnership with local and international organizations, has launched a major new initiative to combat food and water insecurity in Somalia.
Project REACT (Resilient and Efficient Agroecological Value Chains and Technologies for Water and Food Security), will focus on empowering small-scale farmers in the highly vulnerable Baidoa region.
The initiative is funded by the Italian Agency for International Development (AICS).
It is a collaboration between Action Against Hunger, Genius Water, Zamzam University, and the Rural Education and Agriculture Development Organization (READO).
The multi-year project is set to run through 2028, aiming to build long-term solutions rather than temporary fixes.
Baidoa at the Center of a Growing Food Crisis
The launch of project REACT comes at a critical moment, as Somalia is bracing for another season of heightened food and nutrition risks.
Recent analyses of the Gu and Deyr—Somalia’s two main rainy seasons—point to poor crop performance, which directly impacts food supply and income.
This agricultural distress is coupled with rising admissions to nutrition programs and the continued exposure of rural households to severe climate shocks like droughts and floods.
Baidoa, a major hub for both agriculture and internally displaced populations, remains at the epicenter of this vulnerability, making targeted, sustainable intervention essential for survival and recovery.
A Long-Term Strategy for Self-Sufficiency
Moving beyond the cycle of short-term emergency aid, the project REACT is strategically aligned with the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus and the Somalia National Transition Plan.
The primary goal is to fundamentally reduce dependence on aid by building lasting community resilience.
This will be achieved by investing directly in three key areas:
- Water Security: Ensuring farmers have reliable access to water.
- Sustainable Food Production: Introducing modern, efficient farming techniques.
- Local Market Systems: Connecting farmers to stable markets to sell their goods.
How Project REACT Will Empower Farmers
Project REACT will implement a multi-faceted approach to build resilience from the ground up.
Key activities include:
- Infrastructure: Rehabilitating vital water infrastructure for both irrigation and consumption.
- Conservation: Promoting advanced soil and water conservation techniques to protect resources.
- Education: Establishing Farmer Field Schools to provide hands-on training in agroecology.
- Economic Support: Supplying essential agricultural inputs and supporting women and youth in developing small-scale agribusinesses.
- Market Access: Strengthening farmer groups to help them access buyers and financial services.
A distinctive feature of REACT is its “localization model.”
This ensures that Somali institutions and local farmers are not just participants but co-designers and co-implementers. As this approach guarantees that solutions reflect local realities and can be sustained by the community long after donor funding ends.
Project REACT is “Not a Temporary Fix”
Rehema Bashir, Project Lead at Action Against Hunger, emphasized the project’s long-term vision.
“We are not investing in a temporary fix,” Bashir stated.
“REACT is a transition tool embedding water systems, agroecological skills, and market access within local structures so that farmers in Baidoa can withstand shocks and progress with dignity.”
Through this program, thousands of smallholder farmers in Baidoa will gain the means to produce food more efficiently, protect their land and water resources, and connect to markets.
This will increase local income and directly reduce the drivers of hunger and humanitarian dependency in the region.
