Somalia currently faces large-scale foodinsecurity, arising from the drought and poor rainfallconditions prevailing across much of the country. Followingfour consecutive seasons of poor rainfall and low riverwater levels in large swaths of the country, a severe foodcrisis has hit in 2017. The drought has led to near totalcrop failures and reduced rural employment opportunities,widespread shortage of water and pasture, and consequentincreases in livestock deaths, which have in turn stretchedthe country’s coping mechanisms to the brink. Food accessdiminished rapidly among poor households as staple foodprices rose sharply and livestock prices droppedsignificantly as people engaged in forced sales to cope withthe effects of the drought. According to a preliminary RapidDrought Needs Assessment (RDNA) by World Bank staff, whichis based on a triangulation of secondary data1 throughremote-sensing techniques, the drought has led to:livestock-related losses of between US$1.3 billion andUS$1.7 billion for the period of the drought; cropproduction losses of up to US$60 million during the periodof the drought; and depletion of nominally functional waterresources, over 50 percent of which are located withinhighly drought stressed areas. The new Somali leadership hashighlighted drought relief as a top priority. The peacefuland smooth transfer of power has allowed the government tofocus quickly on drought and the difficult fiscal situation,highlighting the combined humanitarian and developmentchallenges facing the country. The Humanitarian ResponsePlan presented at the London Conference in May 2017increased the appeal to US$1.5 billion to reach 5.5 millionpeople with urgent lifesaving humanitarian assistance.Still, per the UN (2017), the humanitarian situationremained grim for millions as of mid-2017 with a significantrisk of famine in many parts of the country.
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