AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY IN SOMALIA

 Written by: Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed(gedjecel)

Mohamed Ibrahim | Bachelor Graduate fellow

Agricultural Extension Officer

The University of Nairobi -(IGAD) - ISTVS 

Somalia: +252 616013115| +252636663221

Published on 1/30/2022

Local people working to increase crop production and improve the quality of agricultural products

Resilience to drought is essential as Somalia is located in a drought-prone environment and has suffered from some of the worst famines in recent history. Unfortunately, farming practices tend to be constrained by skill level, a lack of government extension services, few protected storage facilities, and poor roads. To improve profits and local sales, Some Organizations train farmers and local agribusinesses in crop production and quality control. Demonstration farms are set up so that farmers can test local seed varieties in tomatoes, onions, sweet and hot peppers, lettuce, cabbage, garlic, and watermelon and learn better farming techniques. This has led to increased yields and a greater variety of products for the local market, enhancing food security.

Somali exports of agriculture, fish, and non-pastoral livestock products; reduces reliance on inputs; and increases job opportunities in regions recovering from years of conflict and recent natural disasters. It provides technical advice to non-pastoral livestock owners and institutions to improve the quality of their animals, which enables higher selling prices. 

Crop production performance and its potential is determined by the bi-modal rainfall.  The two main agricultural seasons are Gucrop production,  from April to June, and Deyr crop production is from October to December.

Two areas are considered the high potential for crop production with rainfall ranging from 400mm to 600mm: a small area in the Northwest (west of Hargeisa) and a much larger inter-riverine area between the Shabelle and Juba river valleys.

There are four primary agricultural zones in Somalia:

1. Northwest in parts of Awdal and W. Galbeed - rainfed maize and sorghum with some livestock herdings
2. Coastal Cowpea Belt Zone in Central and Southern Somalia
3. Shabelle and Juba Riverine Valleys - rainfed and irrigated maize, with sesame cash crops
4. Sorghum Belt in Bay and Bakool Region - rainfed sorghum with livestock production.

Somalia’s Protracted Crisis

Two decades of conflict have created a situation of protracted and complex emergency, which has eroded livelihoods and led to increased vulnerability to food insecurity. In the midst of one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, hunger and malnutrition are some of the major causes of suffering for significant sections of the population.

Due to on and off armed conflict, natural disasters, such as floods and drought, disease outbreaks, and very limited access to basic services and humanitarian space, some Somali households increasingly face challenges to maintain a food secure and well-nourished household. As a result, agriculture has suffered the most. Poor rains in this semi-arid nation have also often contributed to poor harvests and significant cereal shortfalls.

Reduced access to quality health care, education services, and poor childcare practices are direct results of the conflict. As a result, Somalia also has some of the world’s highest levels of malnutrition according to World Health Organization standards.

The main shocks reported by interviewed households included dry spells, high food prices, sickness or death of household members, loss of income, pests and diseases affecting both crops and livestock, and high fuel prices. > Somalia’s food-security situation remains dire, with 3.5 million people expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity through the end of 2021. In addition, 1.2 million children under 5 are likely to be acutely malnourished, including nearly 213 400 who are likely to be severely malnourished by July 2022.

Poor rains have resulted in lower-than-average Gu crop yields in the south and poor harvest prospects in north-west agro-pastoral livelihood zones (Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit [FSNAU] and Famine Early Warning Systems Network [FEWS NET], 2021).

More than half of crop-producing households reported decreased production during the Gu season compared to a typical year.

Drought continues to ravage the country. After two failed growing seasons due to pasture and water shortages, drought is likely to persist through the Deyr (rainy) season, which lasts from October to December (FAO, 2021a; Intergovernmental Panel on Development – Climate Prediction and Application Center [ICPAC], 2021a;

ICPAC, 2021b).

Conflict and insecurity remain prominent: 574 000 displacements occurred in 2021 alone, of which 413 000 were due to conflict, aggravating preexisting vulnerabilities (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2021a.

Difficulties reported by crop-producing households included inadequate water for irrigation, plant pests and diseases, lack of insecticides, low seed quality, crop loss and damage and lack of farm inputs including seeds, fertilizer and equipment.

Difficulties with crop sales included: low farm-gate prices; reduced demand; high marketing costs induced by increased transportation costs; crop damage and loss (due to flooding and withering); and difficulty processing produce.

Livestock production challenges included: constrained access to pasture and water, pests and diseases, limited access to veterinary services; high cost of feed; a lack of market access and conflict or insecurity.

Livestock-producing households reported low prices for their production, reduced demand, difficulties accessing slaughterhouses and high marketing costs. Reduced prices can be attributed to emaciated livestock as a result of inadequate pasture and water resources (FAO, 2021a).

Among fishing households, 31 percent reported decreased production compared to the previous year. The most frequently reported challenges included restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, difficulties accessing fishing inputs and labour, challenges finding fish and high fuel prices.

Household Dietary Diversity Scores indicated that 22 percent of households had consumed 5–12 food groups in the previous 24 hours, 44 percent had consumed 3–4 food groups and 34 percent had consumed 0–2 food groups.

In the 30 days preceding the survey, 19 percent of respondents employed Stress-level coping strategies, 45 percent engaged in Crisis-level coping strategies, and 24 percent resorted to Emergency-level coping strategies.

Based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), 47 percent of respondents experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, and 17 percent experienced severe food insecurity. According to Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) thresholds for the FIES, 34 percent had scores in line with Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity.

Ninety-four percent of respondents expressed the need for assistance. Major needs included inputs, veterinary services, water for irrigation, cash, assistance with livestock production, marketing support, storage facilities, land access and rehabilitation, and information on how to minimize COVID-19 infections.

So I would like to  recommend   (Mohamed Ibrahim) 

To ensure that agricultural policies and public investment give priority to food production and nutrition and increase the resilience of local and traditional food systems and biodiversity, with a focus on strengthening sustainable smallholder food production, reducing post-harvest losses, increasing post-harvest value addition, and fostering smallholder-inclusive local, national and regional food markets including transportation, storage, and processing.

To ensure that public policies and investment play a catalytic role in the formation of partnerships among agricultural investors, including private-public, farmer co-operative-private, and private-private partnerships, to ensure that the interests of smallholders are being served and preserved by those partnerships, and recognize that, in many cases, the State has a crucial role to play in facilitating access of smallholders to credit, technical and extension services, insurance, and markets.

To  Encouraged governments and other stakeholders to report to the Committee as determined in the framework of ‘Mapping food security actions at country level’, on actions being taken to align international and domestic private and public investment in agriculture with food security concerns, including progress made in the implementation of the recommendations above, and to share lessons learned from national experiences. This reporting should be prepared in the context of a multi-actor forum that replicates at the country level the inclusive vision of the new CFS.

To Actively involve organizations representing smallholders and agricultural workers in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of policies for investment in agriculture, and in the design of investment programs in agriculture and food value chains.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR READING!

Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed