Livestock
Animal health, livestock productivity, rangeland management, livestock value-chain development, veterinary outreach and One Health coordination.
LEAF
About the LEAF Center — Livestock, Environment, Agriculture & Fisheries
A multidisciplinary Center of Excellence at Somali National University that turns academic knowledge into practical national impact across livestock, environment, agriculture and fisheries.
The LEAF Center is a multidisciplinary Center of Excellence at Somali National University (SNU) designed to convert academic knowledge into practical national impact across Somalia’s productive sectors. It provides a Somali-led, university-anchored platform for applied research, technical advisory services, project implementation, field innovation, policy support, training and partnership development.
The Center is organised around four integrated technical pillars: Livestock; Environment and Climate Resilience; Agriculture and Food Systems; and Fisheries and Blue Economies. This structure reflects how Somalia’s productive systems are interconnected and deliberately avoids siloed approaches to food security, livelihoods, climate resilience and economic transformation.
It is a practical bridge between academic knowledge, government policy, community needs, private-sector opportunity and development-partner programming, aligned with the National Transformation Plan (NTP-I) 2025–2029, National Vision 2060, the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063.
Vision: to be a leading national and regional Center of Excellence advancing sustainable, climate-resilient and inclusive productive systems that drive food security, livelihoods, economic growth, environmental stewardship and national development in Somalia.
Mission: to generate, apply and disseminate knowledge, innovation and technical solutions across livestock, environment, agriculture and fisheries systems — supporting government institutions, empowering communities, strengthening value chains, developing skills and building strategic partnerships with national, regional and international actors.
Pillars and objectives
Environment and Climate Resilience
Sustainable natural-resource management, climate adaptation, ecosystem restoration, watershed management and climate-risk advisory.
Agriculture and Food Systems
Crop production, soil health, irrigation, seed systems, post-harvest handling, food safety and SPS compliance, and market-oriented production.
Fisheries and Blue Economies
Sustainable fisheries management, aquaculture, fish handling and processing, cold-chain development, market access and marine-resource governance.
Services
- Applied research and field-based innovation
- Technical advisory and consultancy services
- Project implementation and programme delivery
- Extension and community outreach
- Training and professional development
- Policy advisory and institutional support
- Knowledge management and learning
Leadership
- Abdulhalim Hersi FarahDirector of the Center
- Mohamed Aden HersiAgriculture Lead
- Mohamed Hussein AbdiEnvironment Lead
- Dr. Mohamed Abdelrahman MohamedLivestock Lead
- Liban Abdisalam MohamedFisheries Lead