Livelihoods in Somalia

LIVELIHOODS IN SOMALIA

Somalia's people live in extremely poor and underdeveloped conditions. Livelihoods are broadly based on subsistence farming and pastoralism with limited opportunity to earn wages. The predominant livelihood systems are outlined below.

Pastoralism: is found throughout areas of rural Somalia but predominantly in the arid lands of northern and central Somalia, as well as along the Ethiopian and Kenyan borders. The livestock sector is the largest contributor to Somali livelihoods with over 65% of the population engaged in some way in the industry. Exports of livestock and their products account for 80 per cent of exports in normal years but exports have been periodically interrupted by droughts and international bans. Despite the ban imposed by Saudi Arabia in 2000, livestock exports continue to be the largest traded commodity for Somalia. Livestock are shipped to various countries in the Arabian Peninsula, and trekked or transported to markets in Kenya, Djibouti, and Ethiopia. Livestock also enter Somalia through the borders with Ethiopia and Kenya. Furthermore, livestock products are a key local consumption commodity for household food security.

Agriculture: is an important livelihood activity in Somalia not only in terms of meeting the food needs of the population (nearly 50% of population's cereal requirements are met through domestic production) but also in terms of generating income through crop sales and agricultural labor opportunities. Agriculture is a major component particularly for two of the main rural livelihood systems in Somalia: Agro-pastoralist - mix of agriculture and livestock production based livelihood. Agro-pastoralists are found in the inter-riverine regions of Bay, Bakol, western Hiran, eastern Gedo, Lower Shabelle and Lower Juba in Southern Somalia but also found in parts of Awdal and Western Galbeed in the north-west Agriculturalist - agriculture based livelihood - Two areas are considered 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.

Agriculture is primarily rain fed making this livelihood extremely vulnerable to climatic hazards.

Fishing: Fishing as a livelihood system involves fishermen along the Somali coast as well as casual labour migrants from further inland. The Somali coastline, the longest in Africa, has been under utilized primarily by local artisan fishermen with little large-scale commercial activity. International fleets primarily exploit the Somali marine resources. It is estimated that Somalia loses approximately 100 million US dollars to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities, resources that could go a long way towards improving the livelihoods of Somalis.

Urban Residents and IDPs: Urbanization is providing new opportunities and livelihood linkages. The large urban towns are Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Kismayo, Bossaso and Baidoa. IDPs are a particularly vulnerable sub strata of urban populations concentrated in these large towns. Livelihood systems are strongly interlinked through trade, social networks or sharing and competition for resources. Livelihood systems are also characterized by disparities and differences based on assets including natural, physical, financial, social and human as well as structures and institutions that enable/disrupt economic, social and political progress. Livelihoods in Somalia are vulnerable to 'shocks' such as drought, flooding, tsunami, international livestock bans or conflict. Some coping mechanisms used by households to deal with 'shocks' can in extreme situations undermine the livelihood itself. For example in 2004, during the peak of the drought in the north, some pastoralists resorted to burning wood to make charcoal, which undermines the environmental viability of pastoralism. Somalia has a strong social network and support system that has provides insurance and is used as a coping mechanism in times of difficulty. Remittances, sent by relatives living abroad accounts for 750 million to 1 billion US dollars annually, thus exceeding the international aid assistance and averting a worse humanitarian crisis.

DETERIORATED HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY IN 2006

By early 2006, Somalia was experiencing an aggravated humanitarian emergency brought on by the drought that hit the Horn of Africa. Around 2.1 million Somalis country-wide were in need of critical assistance, including up to 400,000 IDPs. Central and Southern Somalia in particular felt the brunt of the drought as around 1.5 million experienced an Acute Food and Livelihood Crisis or Humanitarian Emergency.

The Gu rains brought on some relief but only marginal and with significant regional variations. Around 1.8 million people are now in need of critical assistance at least until the end of 2006, including 880,000 people experiencing an Acute Food and Livelihood Crisis, 425,000 in a state of Humanitarian Emergency, and 400,000 internally displaced. In several regions the food and livelihood security continues to deteriorate. Vulnerabilities include low household purchasing power, high household debt levels, below normal crop production, poor terms of trade, and significant livestock losses. The Humanitarian Emergency, particularly in the drought-affected regions of southern Somalia, continues.

Somalia has endured sixteen years of armed conflict and generalized violence, resulting in widespread human rights abuses, destruction of public infrastructure, and disintegration of basic social services. The drought further debilitated livelihoods and aggravated already difficult living conditions. Malnutrition rates remain exceedingly high in southern Somalia, with most areas registering above 15% acute malnutrition levels. Factors contributing to this are inadequate dietary intake and high in incidence of diseases, both associated with limited access to food, safe water and health care services. Up to 400,000 Somalis - more than 5% of the population - continue to live in settlements and public buildings, vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

The Climate Prediction and Application Center (ICPAC) forecasts the likely occurrence of a neutral or weak El Nino conditions over the next two months for the Greater Horn of Africa. A weak El Nino would translate into heavy rains in the region and potentially severe flooding along the Juba and Shabelle valleys. Bad rains over pastoral areas on the other hand would almost certainly see a rapid deterioration in food security. Even with normal or above normal rains, the impact of recent crises in Somalia has been so significant, that sustained support to livelihood recovery coupled with emergency assistance for the most affected populations will be required into next year.

THE COORDINATION MECHANISMS AND RESPONSE TO EMERGENCY

The first meeting of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) in Somalia took place in Feb 2006 - the discussions of which focused on the sector response to the drought and requirements for advocacy. In Somalia, eight IASC clusters have been identified together with respective cluster co-leads (from NGOs and UN agencies) to plan and coordinate sectoral responses to humanitarian issues. These are food aid; agriculture and livelihood; water and sanitation; health; nutrition; protection; education and logistics.

Operating within the Humanitarian Response Group (HRG), cluster leads and partners addressed the drought response and presently continue to address the ongoing humanitarian emergency. Meeting on a biweekly basis, partners review the response, identify gaps, ensure sectoral cross coordination and discuss advocacy needs.

The main objective of the Agriculture and Livelihood cluster is to provide immediate support to pastoral communities, as well as to promote an integrated agro-pastoralist response and pastoral drought resilience. An unbalanced response to pastoralists and farmers is likely to increase the risk of potential resource-based conflicts. As a result, insecurity would prevent access to beneficiaries. An unbalanced response between addressing immediate needs and underlying root causes of livelihood erosion would also likely increase the risk of perpetuating food insecurity.

WFP, CARE and ICRC have an agreement where they have divided the country between them to ensure effective food aid delivery in locations where there are food shortfalls (and as identified by the FSAU). Lessons learnt from a recent evaluation of the humanitarian response in 2006 indicated a need to increase attention to livelihood support and focus on initiatives that address underlying causes of vulnerability.

POST GU '06 PROJECTION JULY-DECEMBER 2006. ESTIMATED POPULATION BY REGION IN HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY AND ACUTE FOOD AND LIVELIHOOD CRISIS INCLUSIVE OF HIGH RISK GROUPS (source: FAO/FSAU - September 15 2006)

(1). Source: Population Estimates by Region/District, UNDP Somalia, August 1 2005. Note this only includes population figures in affected regions. FSAU does not round these population estimates as they are the official estimates provided by UNDP.

(2). Estimated numbers are rounded to the nearest five thousand, based on resident population not considering current or anticipated migration, and are inclusive of population in High Risk of AFLC or HE for purposes of planning.

(3). Dan Gorayo District is included within Bari Region following precedent set in population data prior to UNDP/WHO 2005.

(4). Roughly estimated as 30% and 20% of urban population in HE and AFLC areas respectively.

(5). Actual number is 1,345,000, however, this is rounded to 1,400,000 for purposes of rough planning and ease of communication.

(6). Source: OCHA updated April 2004 (376,630) and UNHCR IDP map Dec.2005 (407,000), rounded to 400,000 as an estimate.

CONSTRAINTS TO PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN AID AND RELIEF

Humanitarian access in Somalia remains critical to the country's most vulnerable populations in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, particularly those in south/central regions. Years of lack of sustained access and restricted operating space in south/central have been major factors affecting human survival. Primarily dictated by insecurity, access has been further exacerbated by a combination of poor infrastructure, piracy, poor operational capacity and presence on the ground, flooding, and absence of a cohesive administration.

During the course of 2006, humanitarian agencies managed to mobilize an increased influx of assistance in response to drought conditions, yet the lack of adherence to humanitarian principles by local authorities resulted in frequent interruptions to humanitarian activities preventing sustained access to vulnerable populations. Over the last several months, the political and security contexts have undergone significant changes, including the control of Mogadishu by the Islamic Courts and their expansion into strategic areas of southern and central Somalia. While on one hand these developments offer a window of opportunity for improved access in some locations, levels of threat posed by extremist groups and "spoilers" remain a major concern.

Throughout 2005/2006, OCHA Somalia has received funding from:

Australia, ECHO, Ireland, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and United Kingdom