Without immediate, at-scale cash and livelihood assistance, famine in Somalia is imminent

The FAO Representative in Somalia, Etienne Peterschmitt, spoke to reporters at a press conference from New York on the famine risk and catastrophic food insecurity situation in Somalia, ninety percent of which is facing extreme drought.

The deadly combination of prolonged drought due to a historic four consecutive failed rainy seasons, in addition to conflict, skyrocketing food, fertilizer, and energy prices, and the still-present impacts of COVID-19, has triggered an especially desperate situation in Somalia, with the window to prevent famine swiftly closing. Briefing reporters on the situation in the country at today’s press briefing organized by the Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General was Etienne Peterschmitt, the FAO Representative in Somalia.

Somalia, like much of the rest of the Horn of Africa, is facing a staggering hunger crisis. Without immediate, scaled-up cash and livelihood assistance, famine in two areas of the Bay region is expected between October and December.

“The window for famine prevention is closing very fast,“ Peterschmitt stressed. “We have 300 000 people facing famine-like conditions, and approximately half of them are in rural and hard-to-reach areas,” he warned, underscoring how we must not wait for a famine declaration to act.

Multi-sectoral, at-scale support is urgently needed, which is why FAO is appealing for USD 268 million to support over 309 000 families – or over 2.34 million people at immediate risk – across 59 districts through June 2023 with immediate lifesaving and livelihood safeguarding assistance. Yet, only 24 percent of the plan has been funded as of September 2022.

With warnings largely ignored, famine is increasingly likely in late 2022

Over a million people – 80 percent of whom are women and children – have already been forced from their homes. They face enormous protection risks in camps for the displaced and have to rely on external assistance to meet water, food, health care, and shelter needs. Already some 6.7 million people are unable to feed themselves without humanitarian assistance, and half of Somalia’s children are malnourished, latest FAO estimates show.

Peterschmitt spoke of the drought in Somalia as the worst one to hit the country in over four decades. Agricultural and pastoralist livelihoods have been decimated, and it could take years before those affected can fully recover or rebuild their livelihood assets.

“The current drought is the worst that we have seen in the past four decades,” the FAO Representative said. It has already affected some 7.8 million people, which is about half of Somalia’s population. Even if a much-awaited rainy season does come, the impact of the drought is here to stay, and it will take years for those already affected to recapitalize their assets, especially livestock.

Humanitarians, governments, and local communities have been issuing warnings since mid-2021, and a likely and unprecedented fifth consecutive poor rainy season in late 2022 only stands to make an already desperate situation much worse. Given the severity, magnitude, and likely duration of the crisis, FAO is prioritizing life-saving interventions aimed at enabling vulnerable rural populations to meet their most immediate needs, in particular access to food and water. 

The face of famine is overwhelmingly rural

It is farmers and pastoralists, FAO warns, who are among those at highest risk of famine, having lost their livelihood assets and exhausted their coping strategies. 

Those who depend on livestock or farming have been unable to produce food to feed their families and lack adequate access to water to sustain life. Their survival depends on the survival of their herds, and their children’s nutrition is inextricably linked to the health and productivity of their animals. These animals, a lifeline for many, have been dying at a shocking rate for the last year, a bleak reality witnessed by Rein Paulsen, FAO Director for Emergencies and Resilience, on his visit to the country earlier this year.

“The coping capacities of the most vulnerable has now been exhausted,” the FAO Representative in Somalia said.

Prioritizing agricultural aid in humanitarian response more relevant than ever

Despite its critical importance for survival, livelihood support is hugely underfunded in the ongoing humanitarian response, and hard-to-reach rural people are suffering the most. 

“Saving and protecting livelihoods saves lives, but livelihood support is disproportionately underfunded,” Peterschmitt warned, adding that “every USD 1 spent on protecting rural livelihoods saves approximately USD 10 in food-related assistance for displaced families”.  A paradigm shift in humanitarian response, one where agricultural aid and livelihood support is prioritized, is necessary at this critical juncture.

FAO has reached over 333 000 households – or over 5.7 million drought-affected people – between January and August this year with lifesaving cash and livelihood assistance, but the scale of assistance currently being delivered and funding from the international community is not yet sufficient to protect those most at risk. Still, FAO remains the agency with the furthest reach and the systems in place to scale up lifesaving assistance in these rural areas that are at risk of famine with its well-established network of local partners and remote implementation and monitoring modalities.  

The multifaceted nature of the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa – with the situation in Somalia painting an especially urgent picture – is the focus of the recently launched ‘Hunger Hotspots – FAO-WFP early warnings on acute food insecurity’ report. It lays out the need for short-term protective measures before new humanitarian needs materialize, together with actions to address existing needs in the region and in other current or looming food crisis contexts. 

Related links

• Did you miss the press briefing? Watch the recording.
• Follow @FAOSomalia on Twitter for more updates.
• Learn more about FAO’s CASH+ approach as a flexible tool for promoting resilience and social protection, including in food crisis contexts.
• Read more about FAO’s work on emergency response and resilience building here.