Friday May 16, 2025
A camel herder milking his camels/ File Photo
After three difficult years of drought, Dahir Abdullahi Ali finally found a way to support his family of nine after bringing his herd of camels from the rural area to the outskirts of Adado town and selling milk.
He is one of hundreds of pastoralists in central Somalia’s Galgadud region who have moved their livestock to urban areas in search of food and water, shifting away from traditional rural grazing practices that have become unsustainable due to climate shocks.
Dahir, 40, milks his 30 camels twice a day, collecting about 46 litres each morning and selling it in the market. After deducting the cost of feed and water, he earns at least $20, which is enough to provide for his family’s daily needs.
“This money has helped us escape the poverty we’ve endured for so long,” Dahir told Radio Ergo.
Before moving his herd in February, the family lived on one meal a day and struggled to pay bills. Now, they eat three times a day using the income from camel milk.
Dahir moved from the rural area of Do’oley, in Adado district, after hearing from residents that keeping camels in town could help prevent them from dying due to lack of pasture.
When he arrived, the animals were thin and producing no milk. But after feeding them with fodder he bought on credit for a month, they gradually began producing milk so he could earn an income.
“I’ve spent my whole life raising livestock,” Dahir said. “But this is the most profitable time I’ve ever had. This method is better for both the animals and us.”
Now that the rains have started, he has no plans to return to the countryside. He believes the camels would struggle to adapt again.
“My dream is to grow this herd to 70 camels and keep raising them here. I can’t go back to the rural land where survival is hard and these extra earnings are impossible.”
Dahir has already paid off part of a $1,000 debt he owed before starting this new lifestyle, repaying $650 using income from milk sales.
He also enrolled six of his children in school for the first time, paying $60 monthly in tuition fees.
In addition, the 60 goats his family owns are recovering from the recent drought thanks to regular feed he buys with part of his income. He no longer spends days chasing the animals across the bush, as he did in the countryside.
“This new way gives me hope for my animals’ future,” he said. “I was desperate before.”
The method has also proven successful for other herders like Kafi Abdullahi Adan, who brought 50 camels into Adado earlier this year.
Kafi sells about 27 litres of milk from 15 of his camels daily and says the income has changed his family’s life.
“Life has improved a lot. We went through very difficult times, but now things are much better. The biggest challenge now is managing the profits I get from camel milk,” he told Radio Ergo.
His current herd is all that remains of the 60 camels and 180 goats he once owned. Many were lost during the droughts of 2017 and 2021.
Kafi had been working as a daily labourer in Adado on house construction sites for $10 a day when work was available. Now, he pays for camel feed with cash rather than on credit, and has started repaying the $1,500 he owed to a local shop.
“If I hadn’t started this method my family and livestock would have been in danger. This idea came to me when I saw how desperate people were for pure camel milk. I knew there was opportunity.”
With the rainy season underway, he hopes to find more pasture nearby, which would lower costs of buying feed and increase his income.
Abdinur Hassan Osman, an economics lecturer at Galmudug University, said this shift toward urban-based livestock farming could play a major role in the regional economy.
“This practice offers a solution to the challenges caused by poor pasture and frequent droughts. It helps families survive tough times and provides stable income from milk sales.”
He added that women and non-pastoralist communities are also benefiting, especially those involved in milk trading.
“Women who sell milk earn up to $5 a day, something they couldn’t do when camels were only out in the rural areas,” he explained.
Camels, once seen as purely rural animals, are now contributing to economic growth in towns and offering new opportunities for herders and small business people alike.
“Pastoralists must adapt to climate change,” Abdinur said. “This new form of farming is proving to be one of the easiest and most profitable ways to make a living from livestock.”