Ethiopia: Somali Refugees and Locals Benefit From Desert Garden in Ethiopia
By Greg Beals, 14 September 2012
press release
Dollo Ado - Marco Lembo surveys the hundreds of hectares of land surrounding
Heloweyen refugee camp. Watermelons, onions, leeks, tomatoes and peppers dot
the horizon. Beyond the fields, in a shaded area next to the Ganale River,
mango and romano bean seedlings are carefully watered.
Even as this arid region approaches its driest season, everything here
appears to be green. "This is more than a garden," says Lembo, 43, who
arrived to manage Heloweyen in eastern Ethiopia early this year. "This will
be an affordable source of food for refugees and the host community alike."
UNHCR, working with its Ethiopian partner, Pastoralist Welfare Organization,
will cultivate 400 hectares of vegetables on land provided by the host
community. The land in Heloweyen camp is extremely fertile and was once used
for a government-run farm.
The host community receives assistance from UNHCR, which enables it to
produce a supply of food in excess of its needs. The remainder is sold at a
discount to refugees from Heloweyen, creating the basis for market exchange
between the two communities. Future plans include participation of the
refugee community to cultivate produce with the host community.
Most of the vegetables in the garden come from seedlings brought in from
other areas of Ethiopia and suited to the arid conditions along the Somalia
border. Once they arrive, they are cultivated in a special botanical garden
along the banks of the Ganale. When they are strong enough, they are
transferred to irrigated fields.
Many of those who were refugees were agro-pastoralists, coming from a part
of Somalia where agriculture means everything. The planned project is not
only an important food and livelihood source, but a way to build cooperation
between the host community and refugees.
It is also one way to convince the host community of the benefits of taking
in thousands of strangers from across a desolate border. "There is a
realization that there are some benefits to hosting the refugees," said
Lembo. "We don't want the refugee population to represent a burden, but
instead to be an opportunity for everyone to improve their lives."
The Colombian has worked in a number of countries but never, he says, has he
seen an oasis of green in the middle of the desert. "You enter Heloweyen and
it is desert, but then you look and see aubergines, onions and carrots."
The experiment is what he was looking forward to. "I came here because this
was an opportunity to work on one of the most important operations for
UNHCR," said Lembo. "This is an emergency that is continuing, with 160,000
refugees arriving during a single year. But when we work hard we can see the
impact of our work on a daily basis."
It can be tough working in Heloweyen, where different Somali sub-clans
sometimes have differences and where more than 20 local and international
aid groups are present as well as local, regional and national authorities.
"It is a big family and it is a lot of work supporting the government's
efforts to help people move in the right direction," Lembo said.
For Lembo, who arrived at this desert region after working in Latin America,
this has also been a time of adaptation and change. There are security risks
and natural hazards, including crocodiles, snakes and scorpions. And it gets
hot: the temperature during the hot season can reach 47 degrees Celsius.
But Lembo is no stranger to difficulty. He has worked in the sub-Sarahan
desert. He was robbed at gunpoint during UNHCR's response to the Kosovo
conflict. He was close to car bomb explosion in Beirut in 2007.
He offers a simple explanation as to why he relishes the challenge of work.
"You see people who really need the services that we provide. When I help
and I know that I am making a difference in their lives, I wake up and think
I am in a humanitarian action movie."
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Received on Fri Sep 14 2012 - 13:49:15 EDT
