Federal government: ministries and agencies
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of Somalia: what it does
Somalia's federal Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation is responsible for crops, irrigation, seeds, pest control and food security policy. Mohamed Abdi Hayir (Maareeye) is minister. Its 2026 budget was US$63.1 million, mostly World Bank and IFAD project money, and in August 2026 it hosted a national summit on investing in farming.
What it does
The ministry says its "overarching mandate" is "to address food insecurity, food systems transformative agenda, and end malnutrition and hunger in Somalia" (Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, About). The tasks it lists include (same source):
- rebuilding and running irrigation canals and flood defences, mostly along the Shabelle and Juba rivers;
- controlling crop pests and diseases, including desert locusts;
- checking the quality of seeds, fertiliser and farm produce;
- improved seed systems, with drought- and pest-resistant varieties;
- keeping an Agricultural Information Management System of farm data;
- bringing in new farm machines and methods.
Under it sits a small regulator, the Somali Agricultural Regulatory and Inspection Service, which has its own budget line of US$36,000 (Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted).
Who leads it
Mohamed Abdi Hayir, known as Maareeye, is minister. The Director General is Eng. Mohamed Hassan Abdulle (NAFIS 2026 communiqué, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, 17 August 2026).
The money
From the federal budget (Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted):
| Line | 2025 actual (US$) | 2026 budget (US$) | 2027 proposed (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation | 45,517,365 | 63,147,963 | 59,777,067 |
| Agricultural Regulatory and Inspection Service | none | 36,000 | 36,000 |
Almost all of this is donor project money passed through the budget. The largest is the World Bank's Somalia Food Systems Resilience Project (US$40.0 million in 2025, US$54.7 million budgeted for 2026, US$48.7 million proposed for 2027). The Rural Livelihoods Resilience Programme, funded through IFAD and the UN, is budgeted at US$9.1 million for 2027 (same source).
What it reports doing
- New headquarters: the ministry opened a new head office in Mogadishu on 29 June 2026, built under the World Bank's food systems project at an estimated US$1.4 million (Dawan Africa, 29 June 2026).
- Investment summit: on 11 and 12 August 2026 it held the second National Agri-Food Investment Summit (NAFIS 2026) in Mogadishu, with more than 400 participants. The Prime Minister told the summit that Somalia spent more than US$2.2 billion on food imports in 2025. The ministry's communiqué says Somalia has an estimated 8.9 million hectares of cultivable land and three major river systems, "yet only a small fraction" is in commercial use (NAFIS 2026 communiqué).
- Afgooye irrigation: in 2026 the minister visited farms in Afgooye during a water shortage and promised action to improve irrigation (SONNA; Radio Dalsan).
- Partners: the ministry names the IFAD-funded Rural Livelihoods Resilience Programme, the World Bank food systems project, FAO and WFP as its main partners (NAFIS 2026 communiqué).
- Monthly reports: it publishes a monthly newsletter of its work (Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, newsletters).
Other records on farming
FAO's Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) and its water and land unit (SWALIM) publish independent data on harvests, rain and river levels. For rain records, see Gu and Deyr rains, 1950 to 2023 and Rain by region.
How the work is shared
Each member state has its own ministry of agriculture; Puntland and Somaliland run their own. Livestock and forestry are a separate federal ministry, the Ministry of Livestock, Forestry and Range.
Its legal basis
The ministry's mandate from the Council of Ministers under the 2012 Provisional Constitution, as amended in 2024 and 2026.
Sources
- Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, About · moa.gov.so
- Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted · mof.gov.so
- NAFIS 2026 communiqué, Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, 17 August 2026 · moa.gov.so
- Dawan Africa, 29 June 2026 · dawan.africa
- SONNA · sonna.so
- Radio Dalsan · radiodalsan.com
- Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, newsletters · moa.gov.so
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- 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.
- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
- Garbahaarrey (Garbaharey) and GedoGedo is the south-western region on the borders with Kenya and Ethiopia, with Garbahaarrey as its capital and about 1 million people.
- 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.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- 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.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- 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.
Keep reading
- Every federal government body in Somalia and its budget, 2025 to 2027A directory of every body in Somalia's federal budget: ministries, agencies, courts, commissions and security forces, with 2025 spending, 2026 budget and 2027 proposed budget in US dollars, and a CSV download.
- The Federal Government of Somalia: how it is organisedHow Somalia's federal government is built: its history since 2012, its branches, ministries, agencies and independent offices, how it relates to the member states, its staff and budget, and where to find each part.
- Somalia's federal government: the President, the Prime Minister and the Council of MinistersHow Somalia's federal executive works: the President's powers, the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers, the list of ministries, and presidents since 1960.
- Ministry of Education of Somalia (Wasaaradda Waxbarashada): what it doesWhat Somalia's federal education ministry does: curriculum, national exams, teachers, school counts and higher education, how it shares the work with the member states, and the separate ministries in Puntland and Somaliland.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia (Wasaaradda Arrimaha Dibadda): embassies and diplomacyWhat Somalia's foreign ministry does, who leads it, where Somalia has embassies, the main issues in 2024 to 2026, and what Somalis abroad can get from an embassy.
- Ministry of Health of Somalia (Wasaaradda Caafimaadka): what it doesWhat Somalia's federal health ministry does: policy, vaccines, medicines, coordination of aid; who leads it; its budget 2025 to 2027; what it reports doing in 2026; and how the work is shared with Puntland, Somaliland and the member states.