Somalia generally has an arid to semi-arid climate. Rainfall is the defining characteristic of the climate and has a great spatial and temporal variability. The climate of Somalia is determined by the north and south movement of the inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In most areas of Somalia this results in two rainfall seasons - the Gu as the zone passes northwards and the Deyr as it moves south. In both cases, rain is produced from the moist air derived from the Indian Ocean, in the southerly air stream. The north-easterly winds, emanating from Asia and Arabia, produce little significant rain. It is generally considered that rainfall is the most important meteorological element affecting life in Somalia. In particular, variation from season to season, and variations within the season are what determine the successes of agricultural activities.

Although irrigated agriculture was the life-line of the Somali economy before the start of civil strife in 1990, much of the information on the pre-war irrigation systems is lost and little is known about their present status. This report documents the findings of an assessment carried out by SWALIM to determine the status of medium to large irrigation schemes in Southern Somalia and their irrigation infrastructure. Comprehensive literature review, key contact interviews and extensive remotely sensed data analyses were carried out to arrive at the assessment results. Baseline information on the water barrages, canal systems and the irrigation schemes was generated and a GIS irrigation infrastructure database was constructed. About 5,000 km of canals were identifi ed and compared with satellite images. The boundaries and the status of 34 medium to large irrigation schemes were identifi ed. The data is well structured and accessible through desktop GIS software or through the web based Geonetwork software. The results obtained, together with the recommendations, are expected to form the basis for the infrastructure rehabilitation efforts by the donor community.

Water resources in Somalia are limited both in quantity and quality, with frequent droughts and floods further worsening the water security situation in the country. Before the onset of civil war in early 1991, the main institution in charge of water resources management in Somalia was the Ministry of Water and Mineral Resources (MWMR) through the National Water Centre (NWC). Exploitation of domestic water supplies was the responsibility of the Water Development Agency (WDA), while the ministry of Agriculture planned and operated water for agricultural activities in the Shabelle River. For the Juba River, development was the responsibility of the Ministry of National Planning and Juba Valley Development. Institutional arrangements of water resources management showed fragmentation, without a clear divide between the functions of national and local agencies. With the outbreak of civil war in 1991, much of the water infrastructure in Somalia was destroyed and social services such as health,education, water and sanitation were seriously affected.Being located in an extremely water-scarce area, the environmental, social and economic development of Somalia is to a large extent dependent on improved water security through effective management of water resources.

Soomaaliya guud ahaan waxay leeday cimilo u dhexeysa oomane iyo mid bar-oomane ah. Roob-da’u waa sifo qeexeysa cimilada oo waxay leedahay kala duwanaasho weyn oo masaaxadeed iyo mid waqtiyeed. Cimilada Soomaaliya waxa ay ka abuuranta kulanka dabaylaha ka soo dhaca waqooyiga iyo koonfurta aagga dhulsooraha (inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)). Meelo badan oo gudaha Soomaaliya ah waxay tani ka dhalisaa laba xilli roobaad – Guga marka aaggu gobolku xagga waqooyi iyo deyrta marka uu u wareego koonfur. Labada xaaladoodba, roobku wuxuu ka dhashaa dabaysha qoyan ee ka timaadda Badweynta Hindiya, marka dabayshu u dhacayso xagga koonfureed. Dabaylaha waqooyi-bari, ka soo dhacaya Aasiya iyo Caaraabiya, waxay dhaliyaaan roob aan badnayn. Waxaa badanaa la aaminsan yahay in roob di’iddu tahay waxa ugu muhiimsan cimilada oo saamaynaya nolosha gudaha Soomaaliya. Si gaar ah, isbedel xilli ka xilli, iyo isbedello isla xilliga gudihiisa waxay yihiin waxa go’aamiya guulaha hawlaha beeraha.

Khayraadka biyaha gudaha Soomaaliya waa ay kooban yihiin tiro iyo tayo labadaba, taas oo ay weheliso abaar soo noqnoqda iyo daadad sii xumeeya xaaladda ammaanka biyaha ee gudaha dalka. Ka hor bilowgii dagaalka sokeeye ee horraantii1991, hay'adda ugu muhiimsan ee mas'uul ka ah maaraynta khayraadka biyaha gudaha Soomaaliya waxay ahayd Wasaaradda Khayraadka Biyaha iyo Macdanta iyada oo loo marayo Xarunta Biyaha Qaran. Manaafacaadsiga biyo siinta maxalliga waxaa mas'uuliyad ka saarnayd Hay'adda Horumarinta Biyaha (WDA), halka Wasaaradda Beeraha ay qorshayn jirtey oo ka shaqayn jirtey hawlaha biyaha waraabka beeraha ee wabiga Shabeelle. Marka ay noqoto Webiga Jubba, horumarinta waxaa ka mas'uul ahaa Wasaaradda Qorshaynta Qaranka iyo Horumarinta Dooxada Juba. Qabanqaabooyinka hay'adeed ee maareynta khayraadka biyaha waxay muujiyeen kala qoqobnaan, oo aan lahay xad cad oo u dhexeeya hawlaha hay'adaha qaraniyo kuwa maxalliga ah. Markii uu qarxay dagaalkii sokeeye ee 1991-kii, wax badan oo ka mid ah kaabayaasha biyaha waa la burburiyay oo waxaa si xun loo waxyeeleeyey adeegyo bulshadeed oo ka jirey gudaha Soomaaliya sida caafimaadka, waxbarashada, biyaha iyo fayadhowrka. Maadaama Soomaaliya ay ku taal geyi aad u biyo-yar, horumarinta deegaameed, midda bulshadeed iyo dhaqaalaba waxay si baaxad weyn ugu tiirsan tahay ammaan biyo la hagaajiyey oo maareyn khayraad biyood oo wax-ku-ool ah leh.

Developing countriesespecially in Africa, face great challenges in data and information management. While it is known that centralised database management is a good practice in the field of research, not many countries have managed to achieve this, even with the growing rate of knowledge of information and communication technology. Somalia faces even greater challenges than these countries due to the prolonged civil war. One and a half decade of the civil war in the country have resulted in loss and damage of most water and land related information collected in the previous half century. On the other hand, great numbers of agencies are working in Somalia with different objectives and activities, which have led to disintegration of information. Having realised this, land and water data management and exchange have become important components within the SWALIM project. SWALIM is trying to recover lost information from different sources all over the world and at the same time re-establish data collection networks in collaboration with partner agencies. One area of interest is information and data on hydro-meteorology. A lot of resources and efforts have been put into place by SWALIM in an effort to recover these lost data.

Developing countries; especially in Africa, face great challenges in data and information management. While it is known that centralised database management is a good practice in the field of research, not many countries have managed to achieve this, even with the growing rate of knowledge of information and communication technology. Somalia faces even greater challenges than these countries due to the prolonged civil war. One and a half decade of the civil war in the country have resulted in loss and damage of most water & land related information collected in the previous half century. This report presents an inventory of the historical hydro-meteorological data that have been accumulated from various sources, and the hydrometeorological data that are currently being collected by SWALIM in collaboration with partner agencies

As an input to guiding policy decisions on land use planning, this study defi nes the capacity of the study area to support specific land use types. The main land use types considered were rainfed agriculture, extensive grazing (pastoralism) and forestry. Land suitability is presented in the form of tables, maps and narratives for specifi c types of land use defi ned by individual crops, grazing animals or forestry species. This report also gives details of the Somalia Automated Land Evaluation System (SOMALES), which is an application of the FAO Framework for Land Evaluation and Automated Land Evaluation Software (ALES) for Somalia

Warbixintan waxay qeexeysaa u haboonaanshiyo dhul oogadiis beer roobaad, beer waraab, daaq furan (xoolo-daaqsato) iyo kaymo meelaha gosha Webiyada Juba iyo Shabelle. Haboonaanshiyo dhul ayaa loo soo bandhigay qaab ah shax, khariidado iyo warbixin ku aadan noocyo isticmaa dhul gaar ah oo loo qeexay dalagyo kala gaar ah, xoolo daaqid ama noocyo kayn ah. Warbixintan waxay sidoo kale bixinaysaa faahfaahino ku saabsan Hab Qiimayn Dhul oo Automaatik looga dhigay Soomaaliya (Somalia Automated Land Evaluation System (SOMALES )), taas oo ah hirgelin Qaab-hawleed FAO u isticmaasho Qiimayn Dhul iyo ALES software oo Soomaaliya loo diyaariyey. Warbixintan waa wax waxtar leh hogaamin go'aanno siyaasadeed oo ku taxaluqa qorshayn isticmaal dhul.

This report describes physical land suitability for rainfed agriculture, irrigated agriculture, extensive grazing (pastoralism) and forestry in the Juba and Shabelle riverine areas. Land suitability is presented in the form of tables, maps and narratives for specific types of land use defined by individual crops, grazing animals or forestry species. This report also gives details of the Somalia Automated Land Evaluation System (SOMALES), which is an application of the FAO Framework for Land Evaluation and ALES software for Somalia. The report is useful in guiding policy decisions on land use planning.