{"id":2537,"date":"2025-08-18T09:49:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T08:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/desertdisorders\/?page_id=2537"},"modified":"2025-08-18T16:45:52","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T15:45:52","slug":"hargeysa-symposium","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hosting.northumbria.ac.uk\/desertdisorders\/hargeysa-symposium\/","title":{"rendered":"Hargeysa Symposium"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Hargeysa Symposium<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Desert Disorders Symposium, Hargeysa, 2025<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The second Desert Disorders Symposium <\/em>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<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Thematic Focus and Rationale<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Arid<\/span> and<\/span> semi-<\/span>arid<\/span> regions,<\/span> along<\/span> with<\/span> deserts,<\/span> present<\/span> both<\/span> opportunities<\/span> and<\/span> challenges<\/span> for <\/span>modern<\/span> governance<\/span> regarding<\/span> space,<\/span> populations,<\/span> production,<\/span> and<\/span> trade.<\/span> Prevailing<\/span> discourses <\/span>often<\/span> depict<\/span> these<\/span> areas<\/span> as<\/span> marginal,<\/span> extreme, <\/span>and<\/span> empty,<\/span> both<\/span> within <\/span>and<\/span> beyond<\/span> national<\/span> borders. <\/span>In<\/span> global<\/span> discussions,<\/span> arid<\/span> regions <\/span>and<\/span> deserts<\/span> are<\/span> frequently<\/span> contrasted<\/span> with<\/span> normative<\/span> territories <\/span>and<\/span> populations. Moreover, <\/span>existing<\/span> research<\/span> often<\/span> reinforces <\/span>this<\/span> marginalization<\/span> by<\/span> categorizing <\/span>these<\/span> areas<\/span> purely <\/span>in<\/span> geographic<\/span> and<\/span> topographic<\/span> terms.<\/span> Societies<\/span> in<\/span> arid<\/span> and<\/span> semi-<\/span>arid<\/span> regions<\/span> are <\/span>commonly<\/span> perceived<\/span> as<\/span> peripheral<\/span> and<\/span> exceptional<\/span> compared<\/span> to<\/span> dominant<\/span> socio-<\/span>economic<\/span> and <\/span>political<\/span> structures.<\/span> This<\/span> includes<\/span> dismissing<\/span> the<\/span> viable<\/span> lifestyles<\/span> in<\/span> these<\/span> areas<\/span> and <\/span>prioritizing<\/span> fixed, <\/span>territorial<\/span> living<\/span> and<\/span> socio-<\/span>economic<\/span> dependency.<\/span> This <\/span>viewpoint<\/span> has<\/span> led<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> implementation<\/span> of <\/span>policies<\/span> aimed<\/span> at <\/span>transforming<\/span> nomadic<\/span> communities<\/span> into<\/span> sedentary,<\/span> territorially<\/span> bound<\/span> entities. <\/span>Such<\/span> engagements<\/span> overlook<\/span> the<\/span> sophisticated<\/span> systems<\/span> of<\/span> cultural,<\/span> ecological,<\/span> and<\/span> socio-<\/span>economic <\/span>balance <\/span>these<\/span> regions<\/span> maintain,<\/span> which<\/span> are<\/span> integral<\/span> to<\/span> their<\/span> way<\/span> of<\/span> life.<\/span>\u200b<\/p>

This<\/span> workshop<\/span> challenges<\/span> these<\/span> discursive<\/span> constructions<\/span> of<\/span> arid regions. <\/span>Responding to Samia Henni\u2019s provocation that \u2018Deserts are not empty\u2019, participants contributed papers that resituated arid regions in their historical, social, cultural and geopolitical production.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Programme & Activities<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Schedule and Activities<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Saturday 12th April <\/strong><\/span><\/p>

9:00am Formal Opening by\u00a0Sharmaake Abdi Musse, Deputy Minister of Fishery and Marine Resources<\/span><\/span><\/p>

10:30am\u201312pm Panel 1: Food Security<\/span> (chaired by Jama Musse Jama)<\/span><\/p>

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<\/span><\/p>

Saed Mohamoud Muhumed, University of Hargeisa: Perceived Effect of Climate Variability on Maize Production Among Small-Scale Farmers in Gabiley, Somaliland<\/span><\/p>

Bharat Hun, IIT Delhi: Cumin: A \u201crisk\u201d crop which created a disorder in the Thar desert<\/span><\/p>

12pm-2pm: Lunch<\/span><\/p>

2:00pm-4:00pm Panel 2: Pastoralism and Sustainable Resource Management<\/span> (chaired by Katherine Baxter)<\/span><\/p>

Kedir Jemal, Haramaya University\/Hargeisa University: Effect of Rangeland Enclosures in Somaliland: Evidence from Public and Private Ownership<\/span><\/p>

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<\/span><\/p>

Sadia Musse Ahmed, PENHA: Sustaining pastoral livelihoods in Somaliland<\/span><\/p>

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<\/span><\/p>

Sunday 13th April <\/strong><\/p>

8:30\u201310am Panel 3: Pastoral Identities and Social Worlds<\/span> (chaired by Christina Woolner)<\/span><\/p>

Nasra Mohamed Dahir, SCAS: Blooming from the Desert: Rain and Pastoralists\u2019 Relations in the Arid Environment of the Somali Community<\/span><\/p>

Tirsit Yetbarek, SCAS: Identities on the Move: Managing the Fluid Identity of Pastoralists of the Horn of Africa<\/span><\/p>

Neha Meena, IIT Delhi: Reimagining Pastoraliam: Affective Human-Animal Relations in the Thar Desert (online)<\/span><\/p>

10:30am\u201312 Panel 4: Pastoral Governance<\/span>\u00a0 (chaired by Farhana Ibrahim)<\/span><\/p>

Mitiku Haile, Mekelle University: Customary Conflict Resolution Institutions among Tigray and Afar Adjacent Communities: Strengthening the Role of Customary Institutions, Gereb and Abogerebs (online)<\/span><\/p>

Abdiwahab Hashi, Admas University: The impact of pastoralist mobility on tuberculosis control in Ethiopia<\/span><\/p>

Mohamed Abdullahi Omer, Universityof Hargeisa: Somaliland’s Early Warning System: Functionality, Community Response,and GapAnalysis (online)<\/span><\/p>

12pm-2pm: Lunch<\/span><\/p>

2:00pm\u20134:00pm Roundtable discussion: Future Directions for Research and Collaboration<\/span> (led by Katherine Baxter)<\/span><\/p>

6:30pm-9pm Workshop Dinner & Musical Entertainment<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Venue Details<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
All sessions take place at the Hargeysa Cultural Centre, 26 June Street No. 2, Sha’ab Area, Hargeysa, Somaliland\u00a0<\/span><\/div>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t