Somalia Backs Women-Led Agribusiness Ideas to Open New Rural Markets

Baadi Goob AgroLink focuses on one of the most frustrating problems for rural farmers: producing fresh food without knowing whether a reliable buyer will be available when the crop is ready.

The Government of Somalia and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have named Baadi Goob AgroLink and RAAS Agribusiness Solution as the winners of the first Somalia Women's Market Access Innovation Challenge, recognising two practical approaches designed around the problems women face when trying to sell produce, secure income and participate in agricultural value chains.

The winners were announced during a ceremony attended by Somalia's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdi Hayir, and IFAD Regional Director for the Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia, Naoufel Telahigue. Ten companies were assessed through the Challenge, with the two selected businesses standing out for solutions that connect women more closely to markets while addressing everyday barriers such as limited buyer networks, expensive livestock feed and unreliable income.

Connecting Women Farmers Directly With Buyers

Baadi Goob AgroLink focuses on one of the most frustrating problems for rural farmers: producing fresh food without knowing whether a reliable buyer will be available when the crop is ready. The company links rural women farmers directly with buyers, coordinates orders and deliveries, and provides assistance through field officers, a call centre and familiar digital tools such as WhatsApp, making the system accessible even for women who may not use complicated online platforms.

The approach gives farmers a clearer route from the field to the market, reducing the risk of produce going unsold while creating stronger relationships between growers and customers. Better coordination around orders and transport can also help women make more informed production decisions because they gain a clearer picture of what buyers want and when demand is likely to appear.

RAAS Agribusiness Solution is tackling a different pressure faced by rural households, especially livestock keepers who struggle with fodder shortages and high feed prices. Its model combines climate-smart fodder production, training and market connections with a buy-back arrangement in which purchases are agreed in advance under set conditions, giving participating women more certainty about where their product will be sold and how income can be generated from the scheme.

Turning Local Ideas Into Businesses That Can Grow

Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir said Somalia's agricultural transformation will depend on turning local ideas into businesses capable of solving market constraints, while giving women entrepreneurs space to test and expand solutions that create value, strengthen food chains and generate employment across rural areas.

The Challenge was launched in 2025 by Somalia's Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation through its Centre for Innovation and Agropreneurship Development and Agro-Enterprise and Investment Department. It is being implemented with IFAD's Rural Livelihoods Resilience Programme and the World Bank-supported Somalia Food Systems Resilience Project. Selected businesses are given coaching, mentorship, seed financing and support with market access, creating a pathway for promising ideas to move from early testing into larger commercial operations.

Naoufel Telahigue said supporting individual innovations is only one part of the work, pointing to the need for stronger institutions, better business connections and conditions that allow rural entrepreneurs to grow over time. This wider approach reflects IFAD's Somalia country strategy for 2025–2030, which places resilience, agricultural value chains, market expansion, employment and stronger national institutions at the centre of its engagement.

A Wider Push to Strengthen Rural Livelihoods

During his visit, Telahigue also attended the opening of the Rural Livelihoods Resilience Programme National Programme Coordination Unit office at Somalia's Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation headquarters, adding another operational base for work focused on rural communities.

The programme, implemented by the Ministry with IFAD support, is designed to strengthen the livelihoods, productivity and resilience of small-scale farmers facing climate risks, market difficulties and other pressures that can quickly disrupt household income.

RLRP has total financing of about US$33.2 million, including US$27.5 million from IFAD. By combining investment in rural institutions with direct support for farmers and emerging agribusinesses, Somalia is creating more opportunities for locally designed solutions to become functioning enterprises, with women playing a larger role in shaping agricultural markets and rural economic growth.