One million of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) plantation project in Somalia

For many decades Date palm has been cultivated in North West and north east zones in Somalia due to the proper climate requirements for flowering and fruit setting. It is rich in iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and it is worthy source of fiber.  Furthermore it is rich in calories, making it abundant energy source and sweet in taste. As it is also a good alternative to refined sugars and it makes a significant contribution to national economies.

One million of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) plantation project for mitigating the negative impacts of climate change on food security in Somalia will be undertaken by SONRREC and Jazeera Univeristy. A part of the project is the planting date palms which was targeted 300 Ajwa date palms in the first phase. The project was jointly implemented by Jazeera University, SONRREC and Ministry of Agriculture & Irrigation (MOA). The second phase of Ajwa date palm planting will be increased to 5000 in 2023.

Ajwa dates are high in nutritional composition then the rest of the dates palm varieties. Both flesh and pits are rich in bioactive compounds that promote human health and lead to eradicate and treat different diseases as studies have shown that Ajwa date has strong antioxidant, anticancer and antiviral activities.

Moreover, short and long term capacity building will include in this project for dissimilar significant sides such as:

• integrated pest management of Ajwa Date palm
• Date palm breeding for establishing desirable traits
• Date palm tissue culture for mass production