Hargeysa Symposium
Desert Disorders Symposium, Hargeysa, 2025
The second Desert Disorders Symposium took place 12-13 April, 2025 in Hargeysa. It was hosted by the Somaliland Centre for African Studies, in collaboration with the British Academy funded project, Desert Disorders.
Thematic Focus and Rationale
Arid and semi-arid regions, along with deserts, present both opportunities and challenges for modern governance regarding space, populations, production, and trade. Prevailing discourses often depict these areas as marginal, extreme, and empty, both within and beyond national borders. In global discussions, arid regions and deserts are frequently contrasted with normative territories and populations. Moreover, existing research often reinforces this marginalization by categorizing these areas purely in geographic and topographic terms. Societies in arid and semi-arid regions are commonly perceived as peripheral and exceptional compared to dominant socio-economic and political structures. This includes dismissing the viable lifestyles in these areas and prioritizing fixed, territorial living and socio-economic dependency. This viewpoint has led to the implementation of policies aimed at transforming nomadic communities into sedentary, territorially bound entities. Such engagements overlook the sophisticated systems of cultural, ecological, and socio-economic balance these regions maintain, which are integral to their way of life.
This workshop challenges these discursive constructions of arid regions. Responding to Samia Henni’s provocation that ‘Deserts are not empty’, participants contributed papers that resituated arid regions in their historical, social, cultural and geopolitical production.
Programme & Activities
Schedule and Activities
Saturday 12th April
9:00am Formal Opening by Sharmaake Abdi Musse, Deputy Minister of Fishery and Marine Resources
10:30am–12pm Panel 1: Food Security (chaired by Jama Musse Jama)
Asma Jama Mohamed, Ministry of Livestock and Rural Development: Assessing household food security in a rural district of Maroodijeeh region, Somaliland: a case study of Salahley district
Saed Mohamoud Muhumed, University of Hargeisa: Perceived Effect of Climate Variability on Maize Production Among Small-Scale Farmers in Gabiley, Somaliland
Bharat Hun, IIT Delhi: Cumin: A “risk” crop which created a disorder in the Thar desert
12pm-2pm: Lunch
2:00pm-4:00pm Panel 2: Pastoralism and Sustainable Resource Management (chaired by Katherine Baxter)
Kedir Jemal, Haramaya University/Hargeisa University: Effect of Rangeland Enclosures in Somaliland: Evidence from Public and Private Ownership
Amoun A. Haibe, Director of the Department of Rural Development: Mitigating impact of land degradation on livelihoods of pastoral and agro pastoral communities in Somaliland
Sadia Musse Ahmed, PENHA: Sustaining pastoral livelihoods in Somaliland
Roble Musa, University of Nairobi/Roskilde University: Market-Oriented Diversification Strategies for Climate Change Adaptation: Case Studies of Pastoralists and Agro-pastoralists in the Togdheer Region, Somaliland
Sunday 13th April
8:30–10am Panel 3: Pastoral Identities and Social Worlds (chaired by Christina Woolner)
Nasra Mohamed Dahir, SCAS: Blooming from the Desert: Rain and Pastoralists’ Relations in the Arid Environment of the Somali Community
Tirsit Yetbarek, SCAS: Identities on the Move: Managing the Fluid Identity of Pastoralists of the Horn of Africa
Neha Meena, IIT Delhi: Reimagining Pastoraliam: Affective Human-Animal Relations in the Thar Desert (online)
10:30am–12 Panel 4: Pastoral Governance (chaired by Farhana Ibrahim)
Mitiku Haile, Mekelle University: Customary Conflict Resolution Institutions among Tigray and Afar Adjacent Communities: Strengthening the Role of Customary Institutions, Gereb and Abogerebs (online)
Abdiwahab Hashi, Admas University: The impact of pastoralist mobility on tuberculosis control in Ethiopia
Mohamed Abdullahi Omer, Universityof Hargeisa: Somaliland’s Early Warning System: Functionality, Community Response,and GapAnalysis (online)
12pm-2pm: Lunch
2:00pm–4:00pm Roundtable discussion: Future Directions for Research and Collaboration (led by Katherine Baxter)
6:30pm-9pm Workshop Dinner & Musical Entertainment
Venue Details