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In the Somali region of southeastern Ethiopia, the ongoing drought (the worst in half a century, influenced by the El Niño phenomenon) has led to severe feed and water shortages, causing abnormal livestock migration and widespread mortality. A large part of the region’s population depends on livestock for food and income, but as the lean season continues, the food security of these households is rapidly deteriorating, increasing the risk of malnutrition. To safeguard the livelihoods of drought-affected pastoralists and provide emergency assistance to those in most need, FAO, in partnership with the Regional Livestock Development Board (LPDB), has implemented interventions in nine communities in the three worst-affected districts of Siti region: Erel, Hadagala and Shinile. The project aims to improve the financial stability of some 2 200 households and the nutritional intake of more than 4 500 households by purchasing livestock and providing protein-rich meat. By offering a fair price for already weakened sheep and goats, the project has created a local market. The purchased animals are then immediately slaughtered locally to ensure meat for local displaced families.
In the worst-affected areas of the Somali region, households that mainly keep sheep, goats, cattle and camels have lost most or all of their livestock due to lack of feed and water, with many households reporting the death toll of between one and two hundred animals.
For herders like Mahmoud Omer in Bissell, the drought has all but destroyed their livelihoods. “I sent my best animals, the ones that can travel long distances, along with some herders to Somaliland where we heard it was raining,” he said. “The journey took 19 days and they could not find pasture. The animals were too weak from the long journey to turn back. I heard most of them died.”
Creating local markets and economies
Having lost their main source of income, thousands of herders have settled in makeshift camps near their villages, living with their few remaining animals in low huts made of sticks, mats and repurposed tarpaulins. The continued concentration of people and livestock has put enormous pressure on extremely limited and already degraded natural resources.
FAO works with LPDB to buy weak livestock from displaced herders at fair prices, which helps boost the local economy. “Even if we could sell the livestock under the prevailing conditions, there was no functioning market and the animals were too weak to be transported to larger towns,” Mahmoud said. “FAO helped us bring the market to our doorstep.”
The project helps herders focus their limited resources on raising their remaining livestock. This improves the chances of the livestock surviving the rainy season.
Provides protein-rich meat
The purchased animals are offered to displaced families and immediately slaughtered locally, especially single mothers who have more than one child to feed. Halima Hassan, a mother of six from Adora, eats only one meal a day, mostly dry food. “We used to mix the aid food with milk, but my animals haven’t produced milk for months,” she said. Due to the socio-cultural and economic importance of livestock, meat is rare and only eaten on special occasions.
Thanks to FAO’s support, vulnerable families like Halima’s have access to animal protein for the first time in months.
FAO and LPDB ensure the overall quality of interventions through a number of measures:
- Livestock prices are set by local government officials to ensure that households do not reduce their livestock stocks in response to cash incentives.
- To ensure eventual regeneration of the herd, there is no option to purchase core breeding stock.
- All sheep and goats are inspected by animal health experts and meat inspectors prior to slaughter and meat distribution.
- Purchased animals showing signs of illness or severe emaciation will be disposed of immediately.
As part of its El Niño response plan, FAO in Ethiopia is appealing for US$50 million, of which US$3 million is urgently needed for emergency livestock feed support to vulnerable households. An additional US$7 million is needed for voucher-based supplementary feed supply, community-level feed production support, and small ruminant supplementation for households.
*Names have been changed to protect identities.
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