The Agricultural Development Organization (ADO) was established in 1993 in Burao, focusing on relief and rehabilitation to assist the returnee population who had their homes and livelihoods destroyed during the civil war in the 1980s
Since its establishment, ADO has expanded its activities and has ventured into early recovery and development
ADO has its Head Office in Hargeisa with the regional branch offices in Burao, Borama, and Erigavo of Togdheer, Awdal, and Sanaag regions. ADO is an active member of the leading local umbrella groups, namely, NAGAAD, SOLPAF, and SONSEF.
ADO approach is based on a bottom-up process throughout all the project cycles; it is a community-driven and people-centered approach
Besides, ADO's developmental and programmatic approach is based on a rights-based, pro-poor, and people-centered methodology, which is the core philosophy inherent in ADO's development approach
ADO's approach is an innovative community-based participatory learning approach that empowers marginalized groups to be engaged in areas that affect their lives.
However, ADO also strongly collaborates with the Environment Network, Human Rights Network, and Food Security Network
Currently, the organization is in close partnership with European Union, Darwin Initiative, UNDP, UNHCR, ISF Finland, UN SHF, Development Fund (DF), Norway, and KNH Germany
For the past three decades, ADO has made sustainable changes to the livelihoods of the rural communities, cyclone and drought-affected people, people with disabilities, women, and youth living in Somaliland
The programmatic areas of ADO targets:
Increasing access to assets: land, water, and human capital;
Making smallholder farmers more productive;
Improving access to financial services;
Enhancing the performance of producer organizations;
Enhancing human knowledge to adapt and mitigate climate changes, stressors, and shocks;
Promoting agricultural extension, innovation to science research, and technology.