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Huge livestock losses harm food security, livelihoods in Somalia
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IANS | 22 Mar, 2018
Massive numbers of livestock
deaths in Somalia due to drought have severely damaged herders'
livelihoods and threaten to exacerbate food scarcity, which remains
acute in the central and northern pastoral areas, the United Nations
warned on Wednesday.
With forecasts pointing to below-average
rains during April-June, urgent support is needed to build the
resilience of crisis-hit communities and avert a deterioration in
livelihoods and food security, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
said in its Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) report.
"Massive
livestock losses have severely affected Somalia's economy and people.
It is crucial that we continue to support pastoralist households and
build resilience to climate-related shocks by providing timely
veterinary and feeding assistance for their animals," said FAO's
representative in Somalia, Daniele Donati.
In the country's
northern and central pastoral regions, the negative impact of prolonged
drought in 2016 and 2017 on livestock in particular, has increased the
number of people at severe risk of hunger by an estimated 3 percent to
1.8 million - almost 30 percent of the population of these areas.
Somalia's
overall food security situation improves slightly in early 2018 mainly
due to large-scale, sustained humanitarian aid, FAO said. The number of
Somalis suffering severe food scarcity fell by an estimated 15 percent
from late 2017, but remains 170 percent above pre-crisis levels,
according to FAO.
The massive herd losses have led to a reduced
market supply and surging prices of livestock and livestock products,
such as milk, and plunging animal exports. This is expected to have a
severe effect on the Somali economy: the livestock sector accounts for
about 40 percent of national income and 65 percent of the population
rears livestock.
Families in pastoral areas are already bearing
the brunt of the crisis and have high levels of household indebtedness
that is severely impacting their access to food. In the northern and
central regions, household debts soared 400 percent during 2017, fuelled
by purchases of foodstuffs and water on credit and by loans, according
to FAO.
FAO said it aims to assist 2.7 million rural Somalis this
year and is appealing for $236 million for animal feed, water and
health services, to help farmers secure a good harvest and to provide
cash transfers to those most in need so families can afford to eat while
they restore their food production.
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