Upto 1.3 million people in Somalia face acute food security crisis

According to a report released by Food Security and Analysis Unit ( FSAU) indicated the average of national cereal crop production and improved livestock Production following a largely favourable Deyr (October-December) rainy season, up to 1.3 million people across Somalia are expected to face food consumption gaps and depletion of assets indicative of Crisis worse outcomes through mid-2020.

Besides, nearly 963 000 children under the age of five are likely to be acutely malnourished through December 2020. Sustained and large-scale humanitarian assistance is currently preventing more severe outcomes in many areas. However, deterioration is expected.

The food security situation between April and June 2020 in some areas where food and income sources are not expected to be sufficient to meet minimum kilogrammes requirements. Thus far, Desert Locust damages to pasture are limited and localized to central regions, as average to above-average rainfall regenerated pasture and browse in most areas.

Similarly, Desert Locust damages to the 2019 Deyr harvest are localized and limited to late-planted crops (milking stage). The risk of Desert Locust damages to both pasture and crops remains high and critical throughout 2020 given the ever-expanding areas affected, continued hatching and formation of hoppers and swarms. These findings reflect the outcome of the 2019 post-Deyr seasonal food security and nutrition assessment conducted across Somalia during November and December 2019.

The assessment and the subsequent analyses was jointly led by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia (FSNAU, a project managed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET, a project funded by USAID) with the active participation of Government institutions, UN and NGO partners.

Before the start of the Deyr 2019 season, many poor households in northern and central Somalia were still recovering from the loss of food and income source during the severe 2016/2017 drought and the 2018/2019 drought.

Despite prolong drought, 2.6 million people in Somalia have been displaced due to conflict, drought, floods, or similar factors. Food insecurity remained elevated in late 2019 due to floods that occurred during the Deyr season, which disrupted livelihood activities, caused large-scale population displacement, and resulted in significant crop losses in riverine livelihood zones.

Goobjoog News