Resilient Crops Help Somalia Exit Famine

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced that Somalia, which suffered famine a year ago, is now on the path to recovery but the situation remains critical and continued aid is vital in order to preserve food security.

FAO's aid strategy in southern Somalia was able to help farmers and herders build long-term resilience to drought and other emergencies in a region plagued by recurrent droughts. One of the organization's strategy is to provide farmers agricultural inputs like fertilizers and improved seeds. The assistance enabled farmers in the regions of Bay and Shabelle to double their production of maize and sorghum last year.

FAO also delivered aid in the form of cash-based intervention. This helped vulnerable communities to secure food which, together with agriculture inputs and livestock health services, allowed people to remain in their places of origin. Aside from putting money in people's pockets, cash-based schemes also benefit communities in the long-term with better infrastructure. For example, in all 1,626 km of canals were rehabilitated, serving 82,231 farmers who are now able to benefit from irrigation and are no longer dependant on rainfed agriculture.

View FAO's news release at http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/152914/icode/.