The Food Security Cluster (FSC) Preparedness and Resilience Working Group (PRWG) launched a call for good practices on preparedness and resilience-building approaches and activities among its partners.

Mercy Corps' Pastoralist Areas Resilience Improvement through Market Expansion (PRIME) project is a five-year project which focused on selected districts of Ethiopia’s Afar, Oromiya and Somali regions. The project sought to build resilience to drought-induced animal mortality by facilitating market systems development. 

In Ethiopia, recurrent droughts exacerbate food insecurity by causing chronic food shortages, livestock mortality, and conflict over scarce natural resources. The near failure of three consecutive rainy seasons (Guu, Karan and the following Guu rains) in 2015-16 resulted in drought and massive displacement of pastoralists in search of pasture and water. Livestock suffered stress and their susceptibility to serious diseases, like internal and external parasites, increased. An evaluation of four heavily drought affected woredas in Fafan Zone in Somali Region revealed that short- and long-term activities had effectively enabled households to quickly recover, maintain or improve key food security measures in the face of drought. The multi-year and flexible funding along with an integrated approaches were important factors for resilience-building of pastoralist communities.

Two main objectives of (i) improving livestock production and (ii) enhancing households' ability to adapt to cirsis, were tackled in this practice where pastoralists' gained access to veterinary inputs and services. This activity proved to be particularly successful and improved the health status of livestock that was severely affected by the drought. It also strengthened the collaboration amongst pastoralists and key stakeholders. 

The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Mercy Corps and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).