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Mogadishu - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Government of Norway, held a signing event in Mogadishu to mark the launch of a new food security project designed to protect livelihoods and boost recovery from floods and drought for an estimated 36,000 people in Hirshabelle and Jubaland. 

In response to the devastating impacts of the prolonged drought and floods on the livelihoods of vulnerable populations in Somalia, FAO, with the Government of Norway and the Federal Government of Somalia, are supporting a food security project as part of the ongoing anticipatory action and response to El Niño. FAO’s El Niño Mitigation, Preparedness and Response Plan was activated with a focus on riverine areas expected to be hardest hit by floods as an urgent appeal to be implemented in close collaboration with government partners and other humanitarian actors in Somalia.

The primary objective of the Norwegian-funded project is to safeguard livelihoods of the most affected and at-risk vulnerable rural households in Hirshabelle (Jowhar) and Jubaland (Luuq, Belet Xaawa, Kismayo) states of Somalia. 

Norway Representative, Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires in Somalia, Carsten Carlsen: "Agree that this is a timely initiative, albeit for sad reasons. Even as we speak, we know that in southern Somalia they are feeling the consequences of climate change. Combatting the negative effects of climate change is very high on Norway’s political agenda all the way from the ongoing global climate conference in the UAE and down to concrete activities on the ground as this agreement will facilitate. There is need to act now in Somalia to respond to the increasingly dire food security needs especially to the communities faced by recurrent shocks, including the recent floods. We hope that Norway’s support will go a long way towards protecting vulnerable lives and livelihoods in the current crisis. We are also pleased to work with a UN organization like FAO, as strengthening the role of UN is also one of our core foreign policy priorities. FAO is also one of the key organizations supporting the government and communities of Somalia in improving food security at this critical time. "

FAO Representative in Somalia, Etienne Peterschmitt: "This intervention is a timely and important initiative that will help to protect and improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers and their families in this region. The initiative will help FAO to scale up El Niño response and recovery interventions aimed at strengthening livelihoods and improving food security outcomes for affected households living along the Juba and Shabelle rivers. We are grateful to the Norwegian Government, and our partners for their timely support."

Somalia has considerable productive resources which offer a huge potential for delivering rapid economic growth of critical importance to people’s livelihoods. Millions of Somalis depend on agricultural production for their livelihoods. Crop production is concentrated mainly in the southern part of the country, where the most fertile land is located, and riverine irrigation water is abundantly available. From 2020 to the first quarter of 2023, Somalia was facing a severe drought, significantly impacting affected populations’ capacity to cope. Somalia is now facing yet another extreme climatic extreme event with the onset of heavy El Niño rains that has led to severe flooding and deteriorating humanitarian crisis spurring yet another wave of displacement as a result of imminent risks to lives and livelihoods.

With funding from the Norwegian government, the project will provide agricultural inputs, services, and early warning information to support small-scale farmers to plan and protect their livelihoods as well as enable recovery from the impact of droughts and floods.  The project will further build on the ongoing efforts of key resource partners, the government and humanitarian actors working together to safeguard livelihoods for the most vulnerable populations through anticipatory action and response.

This project is designed to complement humanitarian and resilience interventions implemented by FAO and other partners to develop community-level skills and assets that minimize the impact of natural disasters and that promote quick recovery from shocks and stresses in a cost- effective and collaborative manner; and have a positive impact on the lives of thousands of farmers and their families.

Name: Masimba Nyamanhindi

Title: Communication Specialist

Office: FAO Somalia

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +263772239234

Twitter: @faosomalia