Work and business
Farming in Somalia: the two harvests, the crops and the land
Somalia's farms grow mainly maize and sorghum, with two rain-fed seasons: Gu (April to June), which normally gives about 60 percent of the cereal crop, and Deyr (October to December). In 2025 the Gu harvest in the south was about 129,400 tonnes, 14 percent above average, but the Deyr harvest was about 15,600 tonnes, the lowest since 1995. In 2022 only 23.3 percent of households owned and used land.
The two seasons
Most crops depend on rain. The main Gu season runs from April to June and its crops normally give about 60 percent of the year's cereal. The second, Deyr season runs from October to December, with its harvest in January. Farmers along the Juba and Shabelle rivers also grow an off-season crop on the land the river floods. Lower and Middle Shabelle are the main maize areas, and Bay is the sorghum belt (FAO GIEWS, Country Brief Somalia, 15 September 2026).
Recent harvests
| Season | Cereal harvest | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Gu, south | About 129,400 tonnes, about 14 percent above the 1995 to 2024 average | Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025, citing FSNAU |
| 2025 Gu, north | Only 830 tonnes, about 93 percent below average, after long dry spells, pests and high input costs | Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 |
| 2025 Deyr, south | About 15,600 tonnes including 3,000 tonnes off-season, 83 percent below average and the lowest Deyr since 1995 | FSNAU, Post-Deyr 2025 analysis, February 2026 |
| 2026 Gu | Below-average, erratic rain; between 25 and 70 percent of cropland in Lower and Middle Shabelle and Bay was in severe drought in mid-June. Late rains helped part of the crop recover, and quelea birds damaged fields | FAO GIEWS, September 2026 |
Prices
Between January and June 2026, sorghum in Baidoa rose 25 percent and maize in Qoryooley rose 70 percent. In July 2026 both were about twice their price a year earlier. In Mogadishu, diesel rose 65 percent between January and April 2026, which raised the cost of pumping water onto riverside farms and of trucking grain (FAO GIEWS, September 2026). See Prices and inflation.
Hunger
About 6 million people, over 30 percent of the population, faced Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between April and June 2026, including about 1.9 million in Emergency (Phase 4). FAO noted a risk of famine in Burhakaba district, Bay (FAO GIEWS, September 2026).
Who owns the land
The national household survey of 2022 found that 23.3 percent of households owned and used land: 30.5 percent in villages, 22.8 percent in towns and 11.0 percent among nomads. Most parcels were used for homes (74.8 percent) and 20.9 percent for farming. Among farm parcels with one owner, 71.0 percent were owned by men (Somalia National Bureau of Statistics, SIHBS 2022).
Fights over farmland
In July 2026 Radio Ergo reported that more than 50 families had fled fighting over farmland around Beder village in Lower Shabelle since early May. The fighting cut irrigation canals and stopped planting. One farm worker who had earned about $4 a day had planned to farm a five-hectare family plot (Radio Ergo, 2 July 2026).
Farm exports
For farming, livestock and fishing firms, see the farming, livestock and fishing directory and Somali commercial farms. For sesame, bananas and lemons, see Sesame and bananas. For live animals, see Livestock exports.
Sources
- FAO GIEWS, Country Brief Somalia, 15 September 2026 · fao.org
- Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025, citing FSNAU · centralbank.gov.so
- FSNAU, Post-Deyr 2025 analysis, February 2026 · fsnau.org
- Somalia National Bureau of Statistics, SIHBS 2022 · nbs.gov.so
- Radio Ergo, 2 July 2026 · radioergo.org
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Where this matters
- Beledweyne (Belet Weyne) and HiiraanHiiraan is a region of Hirshabelle State on the Shabelle river, with Beledweyne as its capital and about 505,000 to 598,000 people.
- Jowhar (Johar) and Middle ShabelleMiddle Shabelle is the farming region along the Shabelle river north of Mogadishu, with Jowhar as its capital and about 1 to 1.26 million people.
- Marka (Merca) and Lower ShabelleLower Shabelle is Somalia's biggest farming region, along the Shabelle river south-west of Mogadishu, with Marka (Merca) as its capital and about 835,000 to…
- Bu'aale (Buale) and Middle JubaMiddle Juba is a farming region on the Juba river in the south, with about 447,000 people.
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
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- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
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- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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