FOOD CRISIS IN SOMALIA
Topic: Hunger Crisis in Somalia
Pages: 6
If you intend to research on a possible upcoming situation you should be careful that evidence
based information is there.
Area, conflicts, subjects (economic, political, social) reflections on national and economic impacts,
Natural disaster areas and zones, warzones and war conflicts.
Examples:
Nigeria, Japan earthquake, Indonesia, Nagorno-Karabach (Armenia-Azerbaijan), Borders of Turkey.
Refugee issue, Central African States, natural disasters, South American States, North or south pole,
petrol prices.
Do not forget some of the following steps, plus those elements explained in class.
1. The pre-crisis methodology, management, installations, infrastructure, what is the position
of the state in such situations
2. During the crisis we asses and evaluate the procedures.
Time reactions, methodology, procedures, guidance, government reactions and rescue
organizations,
You are to evaluate the facts and figures, the management procedures, including the location of the
area; the strategic planning what went right what went wrong, processes and national reaction to
the issue, then the international reaction to the methodologies.
After crisis follows the following steps:
1. the analysis from the facts and figures, timings and location of the crisis
2. The lessons that are learned from the facts and figures but also the analysis
3. the proposals and recommendations that you suggest as an area.
References in the end
Solution
Hunger crisis in Somalia
Somalia has faced the challenge of food crisis since 1992 when there was a severe
draught which left so many citizens dead . According to Gettleman, (2016), food crisis was
caused by prolonged periods of drought that was beyond government control. Hunger crisis in
Somalia is characterized by inadequate pastures to feed the animals resulting to death of so many
of them. There is also an inflation of food in the country as the demand is higher than its supply
and this makes food affordable to very few people. Many people have been left jobless due to
civil wars that have continued in Somalia and this therefore decreases the number of people who
have the potential of buying food especially at the rising prices with time. The most affected
parts of the country with the issue of food crisis are those in the southern part of the country most
notably the Hiiran region. In this region particularly, there has been activities of Alshabab which
means that the security of this area is questionable and the area cannot sustain any economic
activity. Insecurity plus drought makes the area more vulnerable to food crisis together with
floods which are experienced and make the situation worse by washing away all crops that have
been planted (WFP,2015).
Facts and figures of Food crisis in Somalia
The largest number of people who are faced with this issue of food insecurity is
constituted by the internally displaced persons whose actual percentage in the total cases of food
crisis rise up to 68%. Reports further show that the smallest figure of people being faced by food
crisis in Somalia is that of people living in urban areas as they constitute of only 7%. This
therefore shows that 25% of the total cases of food crisis are those people living in the rural
areas. Children who are ages of below five years have summed up to 214650 who are suffering
FOOD CRISIS IN SOMALIA 3
from malnutrition and a big percentage of them;18% to be precise are suffering from
malnutrition of an acute stage. WFP puts these figures in simple terms by clarifying that in eight
children, one of them is suffering from malnutrition. According to the WFP statistics of 2011, the
famine that stroked the country in this year caused deaths of 250000 people. Further reports
show that 67% of the total population of the youths in the country is unemployed further
explaining why the rate of food crisis is increasing with time (Poverties.org, 2013). There is a
17% increase of people who need food assistance in Somalia which is an indicator that food
crisis in this region is turning worse everyday. Food prices have reportedly gone up by 300% in
Somalia making very few people to afford it. Drought has accounted for 90% of the deaths of
cattle in the country not to mention the diseases that come along with the drought condition in
the country. Other figures indicate that 3500 people are fleeing from Somalia to neighboring
countries such as Kenya and sometimes Ethiopia in search of clean water and food everyday.
These facts and figures are shocking and they can be interpreted as follows:
Analysis of the facts and figures
68% of people who are faced with the food crisis are those who are already suffering
from the effects of internal conflicts in the country. This shows that if internal conflicts would
reduce by at least 50%, then the same effect would be felt in food crisis in the country. 25% of
people faced with the issue of food crisis are from the rural areas, this number is big considering
that the potential of food production lies in the rural areas and not the urban areas. This reveals
that if the government would be dedicated to assist those in the rural areas, then the impacts of
food crisis would be less felt in the country. According to Garcia, (2016), malnutrition cases
have risen to 1/8 of children under the age of five years. This translates into; if the government
decides to effectively deal with cases of malnutrition, it has to focus on this age bracket firs; 0-5
FOOD CRISIS IN SOMALIA 4
years. Unemployment rates of the youths in the country are currently at 67% and this shows that
the government should deal with youth unemployment first before the other steps of making food
affordable such as subsidizing food. When the youths are employed either internally y or
externally, affordability of food will increase. This factor goes hand in hand with that of
improving the security conditions in the country which is another major cause of unemployment
as people fear for their lives in some parts of the country where security is not so stable. Food
prices that have hiked to 300% should be made lower in Somalia considering that the livelihood
of the citizens there is at stake with the larger population remaining unemployed. Countries that
have surplus food production should heed to the call of the UN and prioritize on supplying its
food produce to Somalia at lower costs until the country has fully come out of the food crisis.
The facts for the major contributor s of the death of livestock in Somalia have been affiliated to
drought which has accounted for 90% of the total animal deaths. This calls for other means of
rearing livestock in the country such as securing pastures during the rainy season and saving it
for dry periods in the future. Better breeds of livestock that are more resistant to draught can be
adapted in the country so that they ca withstand the harsh climatic conditions in the country.
Pre crisis methodology
Pre crisis methodology aims at showing the change that has been there in food
consumption before and after the food crisis. This can be obtained by determining the prices of
food before and after the food crisis, accessing the sources of obtaining food and how they have
changed with time, determining the means that people have been using to cope with the issue of
food crisis. Pre crisis methodology also entail that the availability of commodities in the market,
comparing production levels with the past and current production levels in the economy, changes
in livestock sizes and changes In utilization of basic commodities such as safe drinking water
FOOD CRISIS IN SOMALIA 5
and adequate food and healthcare practices in the country. In Somalia, food access is becoming
difficult with continued insecurity in the country, reduced rainfall and increased cases of
malnutrition to children due to lack of enough food. These elements can be used to tell the
advent of food crisis in Somalia for instance in Somalia, food prices since the start of the food
crisis in 1992 have been accelerating at a high rate making its affordability go low. Records
show that food prices since 1992 when the issue of food crisis first struck the country has
increased with 300%. Again as mentioned earlier, the rate of unemployment for the youths in the
country goes up to 67% showing that affordability of food becomes even difficult with time.
National and international reaction
Food assistance in Somalia is mainly through international well wishers such as the
United Nations organizations which provide food in the country and also investigate on its usage
within the country. World food program has also been tasked with assisting Somalia recover
from the food crisis that it is experiencing by engaging in agricultural production especially ion
the rural area where there is available manpower to produce food for local consumption. The UN
has also called upon donnors to assist in lessening the effects of food shortage in Somalia from
other countries which have not been involved in the task before. The government o f Somalia has
been asked to lessen the effects of the alshabab as it is scaring other counties from helping
Somalia due to the fear of Insecurity as the group is violent. All information pertaining to pre
crisis methodology show that change have been felt in the country from 1992 when hunger first
strike the country and recovery has not been made yet since then.
Errors with strategic planning
FOOD CRISIS IN SOMALIA 6
This section is to show what had been attempted in response to the alarming rate of food
crisis in Somalia. There were warnings to the country about the impending hunger crisis 8
months before it happened. Nothing serious was done by the government of the day and that is
why it is blamed for the continued food crisis in the country.
Areas that have been mostly affected
Cases of malnutrition are more severe again in the southern regions of the country with
notable areas being Mataban and Gedo districts (Jones, 2016). It is also evident that the issues of
food inadequacy are common in rural areas and generally the Southern parts of the country.
Recommendations and Conclusion
Food crisis in Somalia shows a situation that is raising eyebrows now that famine has
been eradicated effectively in other places. Solutions to food crisis in Somalia would include
boosting production especially for small scale farmers who are the backbone of food production
in the country. This would include subsidizing seeds for planting and subsidizing even
commodities like drugs for livestock as most people in Somalia are pastoralists. Another means
through which food crisis would be eradicated in Somalia is by improving infrastructure seeing
that food crisis is caused by the inaccessibility of the places making the little food that reaches
the country to be more expensive thus unaffordable. Youth empowerment through provision of
funds and education in the country would also serve well to reduce the effects of food crisis in
the country. This would mean that the youths be equipped with the necessary knowledge to
obtain employment from outside their country or be funded to start their own businesses by the
government. There should be an agreement with the al shabab group which is becoming a threat
to international food crisis relief to stop their impact in the country so that it can feel safe for the
FOOD CRISIS IN SOMALIA 7
donors. The government can also put in place social help to the citizens by for instance
guaranteeing those people from poor homes o f their continued providence with food.
Agriculture should be based on those crops that can grow with minimum rain requirement so that
by the end oaf rains, there will be food for the country. This can only be achieved through
education and providence of seeds to the small scale farmers and such a step will reduce food
crisis in the country.
FOOD CRISIS IN SOMALIA 8
References
Garcia, J. (2016). Food Crisis in Somalia. Cdri.funglode.org. Retrieved 1 May 2016, from
http://cdri.funglode.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=425:somalia&
catid= 231:observatorio-de-crisis-internacionales&Itemid=104
Gettleman, J. (2016). Food Crisis in Somalia Is a Famine, U.N. Says. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/world/africa/21somalia.html?_r=0
Jones, S. (2016). Somalia food crisis: 50,000 children 'at death's door'. The Guardian. Retrieved
from http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/may/08/somalia-food-
crisis-children
Poverties.org,. (2013). Poverty and Famine in Somalia: The Root Causes. Poverties.org.
Retrieved 1 May 2016, from http://www.poverties.org/famine-in-somalia.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/world/africa/21somalia.html?_r=0
WFP,. (2015). UN World Food Programme. Wfp.org. Retrieved 1 May 2016, from
https://www.wfp.org/stories/10-facts-about-hunger-somalia
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