Bardera
Encyclopedia
Bardera City is an important agricultural city in the Gedo
region of Somalia
. It is the second most populous town in the Juba Valley, with Kismayo being the largest and most densely populated city in the region, and Garbahaarreey
serving as Gedo's capital. The name Baardheere is a compound of two words: Baar meaning "palm tree", and dheere meaning "tall", a reference to the ubiquitous palm trees in the area. The city is also reputed as a hub of Islamic scholarship and agricultural
production.
In the 1930s, there were about 8,000 inhabitants in the city.
, corn
or maize, different types of onion
s, bean
s, sesame
, tobacco
, and fruits such as banana
s , watermelon
, oranges
, papaya
s, and mango
es, from Bardera farms reach markets as far as Djibouti
, about 3000 km away to the north of Somalia.
There are two types of farming which exist in Bardera area: Irrigated farming and seasonal farming. Many medium and small scale farms near the river use water pumping machines. These motors irrigate the land with canals, and farmers plant crops. The majority of farmers use a low tech farming method of farming during the two rainy seasons of gu and deyr. Small operation farms are found throughout Gedo region, far away from the river banks where families plant sorghum, maize and beans on any land that is suitable for farming. These farming plots are located on sandy soft earth often with muddy combinations. The locals call this type of earth adable.
Mogadishu's fruit
and vegetable
market used to have a section containing Bardera's famous onion product. Since the start of the civil war in Somalia, produce from Bardera to large cities like Mogadishu
, Kismayo or Baidoa
were diverted to Kenyan markets such as Wajir
, Garissa
, Mombasa
and Nairobi
.
Palmtree being part of the name Bardera, there are many beautiful palm trees along the river bank and almost every farm has one or two palm trees.
. There is also well-established inter-regional commercial activity zone between Bardera and Belad Hawo. People and goods move freely between these two destinations.
For decades, the main business route for Bardera was to and from Mogadishu
via Baidoa
. However, this travel route was greatly disrupted during the height of the Somali civil war in early 1990s. Nevertheless, some trucks bring commercial goods from Mogadishu.
The economy of Bardera is largely agriculture-based. Animal husbandry also figures prominently, with livestock kept for meat, milk and butter. During the 1970s, animal skins such as leather and hide were important trading commodities in the area, as well as in surrounding districts and the Gedo region as a whole.
Bardera's main district hospital has been closed due to disrepair and neglect since November 1995. Functioning health centers include Somali Red Crescent MCH, HIRDA MCH, West Bardera Maternity Unit and East Bardera Mothers and Children's Hospital
, now Bardera Maternity Hospital.
There are independent taxi car operators who transport customers in white Toyota automobiles. The taxi owner-operator and the customer agree upon a fee just before the customer boards the taxi.
. Charter flights of small planes land at the unpaved airstrip in the northeastern section of the city.
River divides the city in half but there are not any for hire boats on the river, either to cross from one bank to the other, or to travel along the river on either direction.
Bardera has an organized and thriving sports scene. The professional football team from Bardera takes part in competitions of Jubba Cup and Gedo District's Cup. Bardera Football team is the winner of 2002 South Somalia Regional Cup Champions. Badera played and won against Kismayo and Baido teams.
and Bardera Polytechnic
.
Gedo
Gedo is an administrative region , formerly part of the historic Upper Juba Region in southern Somalia. Its regional capital is Garbahaarreey. Gedo is a region created in 1980s and is bordered by the Ogaden in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and the Somali regions of Bakool, Bay,...
region of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. It is the second most populous town in the Juba Valley, with Kismayo being the largest and most densely populated city in the region, and Garbahaarreey
Garbahaarreey
Garbahaarey is the capital of Gedo, the second largest and sixth most populous region of Somalia. Maj. General Mohamed Siyad Barre, Somalia's longest-serving president, claimed Garbahaarrey as his birthplace in order to get a job in the Italian colonial police force...
serving as Gedo's capital. The name Baardheere is a compound of two words: Baar meaning "palm tree", and dheere meaning "tall", a reference to the ubiquitous palm trees in the area. The city is also reputed as a hub of Islamic scholarship and agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
production.
Overview
Bardera is situated 2-3 degrees latitude north of the equator and at a longitude of 42-43 degrees. It is characterized by warm weather and high humidity. The climate is ideally suited for year-round crop production.In the 1930s, there were about 8,000 inhabitants in the city.
Agriculture
Large numbers of Bardera's residents make their living working in the many small and large farms on the span of the Jubb River in Bardera District. Agricultural products from farms in Bardera area are sold in many parts of the country. SorghumSorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
or maize, different types of onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s, bean
Bean
Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed....
s, sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, and fruits such as banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s , watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind and fleshy center...
, oranges
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
s, and mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
es, from Bardera farms reach markets as far as Djibouti
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
, about 3000 km away to the north of Somalia.
Mogadishu's fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
and vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
market used to have a section containing Bardera's famous onion product. Since the start of the civil war in Somalia, produce from Bardera to large cities like Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
, Kismayo or Baidoa
Baidoa
Baidoa is a city in south-central Somalia, situated by road northwest of the capital Mogadishu. It is the capital of the Bay region, which is traditionally inhabited by the Digil and Mirifle clans....
were diverted to Kenyan markets such as Wajir
Wajir
Wajir is a town in the North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is the capital of Wajir County.-History:A cluster of cairns near Wajir are generally ascribed by the local inhabitants to the Madanle, a semi-legendary people of high stature, who are associated with the Somali Ajuuraan. A. T...
, Garissa
Garissa
Garissa is a city in the North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is the capital of both the province and Garissa District.-Overview:Garissa is located at and has a population of 65,881 inhabitants . The Tana River flows through the city....
, Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
and Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
.
Palmtree being part of the name Bardera, there are many beautiful palm trees along the river bank and almost every farm has one or two palm trees.
Commerce
Bardera is connected to the port city of Kismayo. Everything from building materials to medicines come from Kismayo. There is another commercial route to Wajir in the North East ProvinceNorth Eastern Province (Kenya)
North Eastern Province is the third largest province in Kenya and has thirteen constituencies represented in the Kenya National Assembly.The region is home to a rare type of antelope called the Hirola, which is classified as an endangered species. The NFD's pastoralists also possess livestock in...
. There is also well-established inter-regional commercial activity zone between Bardera and Belad Hawo. People and goods move freely between these two destinations.
For decades, the main business route for Bardera was to and from Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
via Baidoa
Baidoa
Baidoa is a city in south-central Somalia, situated by road northwest of the capital Mogadishu. It is the capital of the Bay region, which is traditionally inhabited by the Digil and Mirifle clans....
. However, this travel route was greatly disrupted during the height of the Somali civil war in early 1990s. Nevertheless, some trucks bring commercial goods from Mogadishu.
The economy of Bardera is largely agriculture-based. Animal husbandry also figures prominently, with livestock kept for meat, milk and butter. During the 1970s, animal skins such as leather and hide were important trading commodities in the area, as well as in surrounding districts and the Gedo region as a whole.
Health
East Bardera Mothers and Children's Hospital
East Bardera Mothers and Children's Hospital is a non-profit institution women's and children's hospital located in Baardheere, Somalia. The hospital was started by expatriate Somalis based in North America...
, now Bardera Maternity Hospital.
Land
The population uses basic modes of transportation; only a small percentage of the district residents owns motor vehicles. People mostly get from place to place on foot. Each morning scores of people enter the city on foot from all directions, bringing livestock to the animal market, and milk, butter, hide, wood for cooking and other products for sale.There are independent taxi car operators who transport customers in white Toyota automobiles. The taxi owner-operator and the customer agree upon a fee just before the customer boards the taxi.
Air
There are no scheduled flights into Bardera AirportBardera Airport
Bardera Airport is located northeast of the city of Bardera, in Gedo, Somalia. The airport has no scheduled flights. As part of the UN mission to Somalia, United States corps of engineers conducted thorough measurements and surface hardening of the runway during the UN's intervention in the civil...
. Charter flights of small planes land at the unpaved airstrip in the northeastern section of the city.
Waterways
The JubbaJubba
Jubba is a Persian and South Asian ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, and similar to a robe. It is synonymous to the thawb....
River divides the city in half but there are not any for hire boats on the river, either to cross from one bank to the other, or to travel along the river on either direction.
Sports
Education
Bardera has five primary schools and two high schools. For higher education, there are two tertiary education institutions, University of GedoUniversity of Gedo
University of Gedo is a public university in the city of Bardera situated in the Gedo region of Somalia.In the past, the higher education system in Somalia was mostly concentrated in the area near Mogadishu, the nation's capital...
and Bardera Polytechnic
Bardera Polytechnic
Bardera Polytechnic is a non-profit tertiary polytechnic education centre located in Bardera, Somalia. The college's full name is Bardera Polytechnic College . Bardera Polytechnic is the first post-secondary institution in Bardera and the larger Gedo region.-Background: Bardera as a center of...
.