Somalia: Is Drought The Cause Of Famine?
The current and severe drought in The Horn of Africa has recently caused a great deal of havoc and disaster amongst the Somalian population everywhere. People fled for the capital in search of resources and food. The Al-Shabab’s presence rendered donations from other countries useless. However, most of the issues faced by Somalia, at this time, are not completely a cause of nature. As much of a presence the weather has on The Horn of Africa’s crisis, the main problem is set in the government, communications and political structure. Any country could potentially suffer from a drought, but not every country will eventually suffer from a famine, something that can be easily avoided with cooperation. In the case of Somalia, one of the main symptoms of this ordeal isn’t just that the weather leads to a lack of productive farmland, but the fact that Somalia already has a very poor economy to begin with. The country currently suffers from highly unstable government systems, and not just that, but the poor communication levels the country has amongst its inhabitants, including the increasingly difficult Al-shabab.
One of the first problems currently causing conflict in Somalia and making the drought much more intolerable, is the lack of strong communication amongst the citizens in the country. Mogadishu, the capital, is by no means the one place that suffers the most from this crisis. Other smaller regions farther from the capital are suffering from the food shortages just as much, if not more. Citizens, hungry and tired of waiting, flee to the capital or to other countries near by for relief. A lot of the time, due to tough terrain, unbearable heat and hunger, people die on the way. Many do not survive, and if they do, there isn’t much relief for them when they get to their destination, as distribution of food and aid is very poor. A second diagnosis that has been looked at is how food storage is very poor in the area. It doesn’t help that Somalia’s land isn’t as fertile, thus not very suitable for farming. Farmers who are successful cannot sell their food, as donated food from foreign countries sells for a lot higher. Furthermore, Somalians have always lived a pastoral lifestyle, thus making the process of successful farming a little more difficult. A last, and more prominent diagnostic is the lack of a fully unified government system in Somalia. Right now, and even in the past, the government hasn’t been very supportive for the country’s failing stability. One of the main problems regarding this diagnostic is the influence the Al-Shabab has over Southern Somalia. Most foreign aid that’s trying to come into Somalia is blocked off by the Al-Shabab, due to their control over most docks. The most plausible ‘root cause’ for this situation would be the lack of aid and food donations. Although ending the long-term problems would be very beneficial, the country needs a short-term solution first, feeding the people, before moving on to the more complicated issues the government is facing.
In response to these diagnostics, it seems as though the most plausible prescription would be to transform Somalia into a temporary trading partner to quickly help the country’s economy. A second possible step is to work a lot closer with neighboring countries such as Kenya, as they would likely share water and draught solutions. With the extra money Somalia would earn, the country should consider creating better irrigation systems and desalination plants, as Somalia has plenty of seawater at disposal. The most beneficial of these possible prescriptions seems to be working with neighboring countries. As said earlier, Somalia needs short-term solutions before being able to work on the bigger problems within the political structure and communications. By gaining support from other countries, people within the country could hypothetically be watered and fed faster, and would have more strength to fix the bigger problems.
As a reader, you could participate and help with the issues, even from your home. There are three organizations that need support to help the end of the crisis and are not currently banned by the Al-Shabab.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations:
Address: P.O. Box 1230 Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254-20-4000500/501
Website: www.faosomalia.org
Address: P.O. Box 42948, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Tel: +254-20-2714433
Website: www.rbc.or.ke/home
Horn Relief:
Address: 1050 Connecticut Ave. NW 10th Floor, #29, Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 510-4137
Website: www.hornrelief.org/home.
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