The role of agriculture in Somalia pre civil war and The life of Somali farmers- intra and post-civil war era

 The role of agriculture in Somalia pre civil war and The  life of Somali     farmers- intra and post-civil war era

 Agriculture  is the world’s most important issue in terms of economic growth and development . Somalia having a large farmland which is suitable for farming and grazing , agriculture becomes  the major employment activity and economic sector in the country. In Somalia agriculture contributes about 70% to the national GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

According to the central bank of Somalia 80% of population were nomadic or semi-nomadic (agro-pastoralists) – keeping camels, cattle, goats, and sheep while the remaining population had experienced crop production, which resulted achievement of self sufficiency, food surplus and exporting the largest number of livestock to Arabian peninsula comparatively to many countries those have commercially been producing livestock.

Since the civil war had broken out the country hosted consecutive droughts which strongly effected the farmers and livestock herders which then resulted from the reduction of crop and livestock production or thoroughly lost, that led to the people to flee from both the agricultural and livestock habitat areas.

From collapsing the central government era, Somalia had become one the world's most humanitarian aid and donation recipient as well as meeting a lot of humanitarian development needs. The war and drought victims had therefore confidentially relied on humanitarian support mostly donated by the international community, which encouraged them to stop farming and keeping livestock. Numerous families left from the rural areas, are now living in the IDPS particularly those built in Mogadisho. Right humanitarian assistance and conducting seminars and training with equipping the subsistence farmers and livestock herders which does not ordinarily occur, would result in production improvement and alternatively  reduces the recurrent droughts, but both local and international organizations are instead engaging supplying food, and building camps in big cities, which increasingly encourages the number displacers joining the IDP camps. 

From the onset of the civil war1991, the severe famine had extensively effected the subsistence farmers in southern regions particularly the poor household farmers surrounded  riverine Lower/Middle shabelle.

Poor cultivation, accompanied with poor harvest and lacking food security had significantly resulted the famine and the consecutive starvation in Lower / Middle shabelle  and other regions those are typically rain-fed  which constrained  the residents to migrate the urban areas to access labor opportunities(such constructions sites – mostly engaged by men and  howker-selling teeth brush and also working  in homes as savant —mostly engaged by women and children), to join the IDPS  comps and seeking aid from the relatives¹ FAO and FSNA in 2013

Nevertheless few household farmers stop migrating and they instead aggressively decided to engage in their field and attempt to overcome this distressful season and successfully survive themselves and their domestic animals.

Considering what mentioned above, agriculture becomes the most important sector in terms of food scarcity reduction, eradicating hungry and poverty and provides employment activities as well as socio-economic growth, which could expectedly create good livelihood and prevent distressful live particularly in rural areas.

Written By Yasin Ibrahim : studies at City University the faculty of Agriculture.