Climate risks threatening Somali agriculture

Somalia’s livestock and crop subsectors have been buffeted by a series of climate shocks, threatening the sector’s sustainability, according to the World Bank. The World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have released a report, Rebuilding Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture in Somalia, outlining the challenges and opportunities for Somalia’s agriculture sector. According to the report, for the past three decades, Somalia’s livestock and crop subsectors have been buffeted by an increasingly fragile and degraded natural environment and more frequent and severe cycles of drought and floods. These factors, combined with insecurity, weak government institutions and a deterioration of flood control, irrigation and transport infrastructure in the south-central regions, have led to a severe decrease in crop yields. The report analyses the subsectors’ key medium- and long-term development potential and constraints, and outlines policy and investment opportunities. Said Hussein Iid, Minister of Agriculture for the Federal Government of Somalia, said: “This report comes at a critical juncture of Somalia’s development trajectory and investment climate. “It provides much-needed analysis of our productive sectors, the environmental impacts and the development challenges related to governance, infrastructure, and security.” Livestock and crops remain the main sources of economic activity, employment and exports in Somalia. Agriculture’s share of gross domestic product is approximately 75% and represents 93% of total exports, mostly linked to robust livestock exports in the recent pre-drought years. Sesame is now the largest export among crops, followed by dried lemon, in the wake of the total collapse of banana exports. Despite Somalia’s rich fish stocks, coastal fishing has remained small scale and artisanal, while foreign commercial vessels have enjoyed both legal and illegal harvesting offshore. The combination of collapsed domestic crop production and increased domestic food demand, driven by rapid population growth and urbanisation, has led to a massive increase in food imports, which have reached almost $1.5bn in 2015, up from an annual average of $82m in the late 1980s. Pascal Sanginga, senior investment support officer at the FAO Investment Centre, said: “Rising imports are indicative of increasing demand and a broader opportunity to invest in agriculture and stimulate a private agribusiness sector in Somalia. “Making more and better investments in agriculture from the government, private sector, civil society and the vibrant enterprising Somali diaspora is one of the most effective ways to reduce hunger and poverty and expand the economy.” In the short to medium term, the recovery of agricultural production depends on better security, stronger public and community institutions, and the rehabilitation of dilapidated flood control, irrigation and transport infrastructure.

Climate risks threatening Somali agriculture

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