Somaliland and Ethiopian research institutions forge landmark partnership to accelerate climate-resilient crop innovation across one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions.
By Abdirahman Ibrahim Abdillahi
ADDIS ABABA / HARGEISA — As climate change intensifies droughts and threatens food production across the Horn of Africa, agricultural scientists from Somaliland and Ethiopia are forging a new cross-border research partnership aimed at strengthening food security through climate-smart agriculture.
A high-level delegation from the Somaliland Institute of Agricultural Research (SIAR), led by Executive Director Ali Ismail Ibrahim, has concluded a strategic knowledge-sharing mission to two of Ethiopia’s premier agricultural research institutions—the Melkassa Agricultural Research Center (MARC) and the Bishoftu Agricultural Research Center (BARC), both operating under the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR).
The visit represents one of the most significant scientific collaborations between the two neighboring institutions, laying the groundwork for joint research, technology transfer, adaptive crop trials, and institutional capacity building designed to help farmers withstand increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions.
Building Climate Resilience Through Science
Across the Horn of Africa, prolonged droughts, rising temperatures, and increasingly erratic rainfall have placed extraordinary pressure on agricultural production. Smallholder farmers and pastoral communities, who depend heavily on rain-fed agriculture, have become particularly vulnerable to declining harvests and recurring food insecurity.
Against this backdrop, the partnership seeks to accelerate the deployment of crop varieties
capable of thriving under harsh environmental conditions.
Rather than beginning lengthy breeding programs from scratch, SIAR plans to evaluate and adapt elite germplasm already developed and tested by EIAR. This strategy could substantially reduce the time required to introduce improved crop varieties suited to Somaliland’s dryland farming systems.
Current adaptation trials focus on several drought-resilient staple crops, including sorghum, pearl millet, cowpea, and pigeonpea. Researchers are assessing their performance based on high water-use efficiency, rapid maturity, and adaptation to low-input production systems commonly used by smallholder farmers.
Future collaborative research is expected to expand to chickpea, groundnut, wheat, and maize, with particular emphasis on heat tolerance, drought resilience, resistance to pests and diseases, and improved productivity under increasingly variable climatic conditions.
Learning from Regional Centers of Excellence
The delegation’s visit also served as a benchmarking exercise to study internationally recognized agricultural research infrastructure and management systems that could inform Somaliland’s own expanding research capacity.
At Melkassa Agricultural Research Center, SIAR scientists examined Ethiopia’s nationally recognized dryland agriculture programs. Located within Ethiopia’s semi-arid lowlands, MARC has become a leading center for research on sorghum, millet, lowland pulses, tropical fruits, and seed multiplication systems. Over the years, researchers there have released dozens of improved crop varieties specifically designed for water-limited environments, including more than fifty improved pulse varieties alongside numerous drought-tolerant sorghum and millet cultivars.
Hosted by Center Director Dr. Amare Futa, the delegation toured laboratories, experimental fields, seed production facilities, and biotechnology platforms supporting Ethiopia’s crop improvement programs.
The mission continued at Bishoftu Agricultural Research Center, internationally recognized for pioneering research on teff and pulse crops. Scientists at BARC have contributed significantly to the development of disease-resistant Kabuli chickpea varieties that have helped transform Ethiopia into one of the world’s leading chickpea exporters.
Beyond crop research, BARC has also become a regional leader in livestock innovation, including the dissemination of dual-purpose poultry breeds such as the Koekoek chicken, which supports improved household nutrition and diversified rural incomes.
Accelerating Technology Transfer
The collaboration reflects a broader shift toward regional scientific cooperation as neighboring countries confront shared environmental challenges that transcend national borders.
For Somaliland, access to proven breeding materials and decades of Ethiopian agricultural research offers an opportunity to accelerate agricultural modernization while reducing the costs and time associated with developing new crop varieties independently.
Researchers believe that faster deployment of resilient seed varieties could help stabilize crop production, improve household food security, and strengthen rural livelihoods across drought-prone communities.
The initiative also demonstrates how scientific institutions can complement broader regional efforts to build resilience against climate change through knowledge exchange rather than working in isolation.
Four Strategic Priorities
Following technical consultations and field inspections, both institutions identified four immediate priorities for cooperation:
- Formalizing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SIAR and EIAR research centers.
- Launching multi-location adaptive field trials across Somaliland’s major agro-ecological zones.
- Establishing source-seed multiplication systems to support future certified seed production.
- Initiating reciprocal staff exchanges, scientific training, and joint research programs.
If implemented successfully, these initiatives could create a sustainable framework for long-term agricultural innovation while strengthening scientific links across the Horn of Africa.
A Regional Response to a Shared Challenge
Climate change is reshaping agriculture throughout eastern Africa, where rising temperatures and increasingly erratic weather patterns are reducing productivity and placing millions of livelihoods at risk.
Experts increasingly argue that regional collaboration is essential for accelerating agricultural innovation, particularly in dryland ecosystems where neighboring countries often face similar environmental conditions.
The emerging partnership between SIAR and EIAR illustrates this collaborative approach. By combining Ethiopia’s extensive experience in crop improvement with Somaliland’s commitment to strengthening its agricultural research system, the alliance seeks to deliver practical, science-based solutions that can reach farmers more rapidly.
For communities living on the front lines of climate change, the success of such partnerships may prove critical—not only for increasing harvests, but for building resilient food systems capable of sustaining future generations in one of Africa’s most climate-exposed regions.