Somalia's camel milk revolution is improving nutrition and creating jobs

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Abdirisak Mire Hashi, a veterinarian and the farm's manager, drinks from a cup filled with camel milk in Beder Camel Farm on the outskirts of the capital Mogadishu, Somalia, Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

MOGADISHU – Camels have long been the backbone of Somalia 's pastoralist culture, feeding families, transporting goods and standing tall in local folklore. But on the dusty outskirts of the capital, the camel now finds itself at the center of an agricultural revolution that could redefine Somali farming.

On a breezy Wednesday morning in mid-June, The Associated Press visited Beder Camel Farm — one of a new generation of camel dairies springing up around Mogadishu.

Dozens of camels sauntered ar