A Somali Mother Grows Hope from Her Backyard

Fadumo and her daughter prepare a family lunch using fresh vegetables grown on their farm, highlighting the farm-to-table connection.

Puntland, Somalia, November 2025 

“Now My Farm Feeds My Family”: A Somali Mother’s Journey from Hunger to Hope

The morning sun glints off the leaves of Fadumo’s small farm. Spinach, okra, and tomatoes sway gently in the wind. A year ago, this same patch of earth was dry and bare.

“Back then, we barely had enough to eat,” she remembers. “We depended on my husband’s small wages. Some days I went to bed worried about what my children would eat tomorrow.”

Like many mothers in her community, Fadumo carried the heavy weight of food insecurity. Each day was a balancing act between feeding her children and keeping hope alive.

Everything began to change when World Vision, working with PMWDO (PUNTLAND MINORITY WOMEN DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION) and the Ministry of Agriculture, introduced a women’s farming program in her village.

“I saw other women joining and bringing home vegetables,” she says. “I told myself, maybe I can do that too.”

Fadumo joined the training and learned practical, climate-smart farming techniques. She discovered how to prepare the land, make compost, plant correctly, and manage pests without chemicals. She received improved seeds, tools, and organic fertiliser and followed every step with help from agricultural mentors.

Fadumo is tending to crops and nurturing their shared agricultural livelihood.

“The first time I saw green shoots coming from the soil, I felt proud,” she says with a smile. “It gave me strength knowing I could produce food myself.”

Today, Fadumo’s farm feeds her family with fresh, healthy vegetables. “My children eat better now,” she says. “They rarely get sick, and they’re doing well in school.”

When her crops yield more than the family can eat, she sells the extra at the market. “That money helps us buy soap, books, and even save a little,” she says.

But beyond food and income, Fadumo has found something even more powerful—confidence.

Fadumo collaborates with fellow women farmers in Cuun, Puntland, Somalia, tending to crops and nurturing their shared agricultural livelihood.

“I feel respected now,” she says softly. “Other women come to ask how they can start their own farms. I never thought I could teach anyone before.”

For World Vision staff, Fadumo’s transformation captures the essence of the program. It empowers women to create lasting change.

“Women are at the heart of food security,” says a project coordinator - Mohamud idle. “When a woman learns to grow food, she grows strength, dignity, and resilience for her whole community.”

Fadumo and her farm-mates load freshly harvested tomatoes into a vehicle, preparing for their journey to the local market.

As the sun sets over Cuun village, Fadumo gathers baskets of fresh tomatoes for the market and rest for dinner. Her farm is more than just soil and seed; it’s a symbol of renewal.

“This program changed my life,” she says, her eyes bright with quiet pride. “Now my farm feeds my family and gives me hope for tomorrow.”