Mogadishu, Somalia – In a significant stride toward climate resilience and food security, Somalia’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, led by minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir Maareeye, convened a high-level Donor Roundtable Conference in Mogadishu this week. The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama and attended by HirShabelle Vice President Yusuf Ahmed Hagar Dabageed, brought together international partners and government representatives to mobilize resources for the Jowhar Offstream Storage Programme (JOSP)—a flagship national project designed to protect livelihoods from the twin threats of floods and drought.

The JOSP stands as one of Somalia’s most ambitious climate adaptation initiatives. Once fully funded, it is expected to safeguard over 1.5 million people from recurrent floods, sustain 368,000 farmers across the Shabelle River basin, and mitigate drought impacts for more than 1.6 million Somalis. The project’s design blends modern engineering with nature-based water management techniques, aiming to transform seasonal river flooding into a managed lifeline for irrigation and food production.

Deputy Prime Minister Jama emphasized that the programme represents “a new era of Somali-led solutions” to climate vulnerability—placing local communities at the heart of long-term resilience planning. The government also reaffirmed its commitment to co-finance the initiative, signaling a growing national determination to invest in climate adaptation despite fiscal challenges.

Somalia’s agricultural heartlands have long been at the mercy of extreme weather. In HirShabelle, years of erratic rainfall, severe floods, and prolonged dry spells have repeatedly displaced families, destroyed crops, and deepened food insecurity. For farmers in Jowhar, the difference between feast and famine can hinge on a single rainy season. The JOSP offers them a measure of predictability and protection, converting uncertainty into opportunity.

Maareeye expressed deep appreciation to development partners, notably UN Somalia’s Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator, George Conway, and FAO Somalia Country Director, Etienne Peterschmitt, whose joint efforts have been instrumental in mobilizing donor support. “Their leadership has helped turn Somalia’s vision for food sovereignty into a shared international priority,” he said.

With donor commitments growing, the JOSP is emerging not only as an infrastructure project but as a symbol of Somalia’s climate resilience journey—a bridge between humanitarian need and sustainable recovery. For the farmers and families along the Shabelle River, it is a promise that the next flood may not mean disaster, but renewal.