The Root Cause of the Food Crisis in Somalia

 

The food catastrophe in Somalia is worsening with every passing year and putting millions of people at risk of starvation and extreme malnutrition. In fact, nearly half the population (approximately 8 million people) will reach a critical level of food insecurity as early as mid-2023.

This year, Somalia has also made it to the top of the watchlist of countries that face impending and highly probably famine. This essentially means that the country needs global help to prevent mass death from starvation.

But what exactly is the root cause of this problem? In this article, we will explore what the food crisis looks like in Somalia and all the reasons why the country is facing this crisis. Keep reading to find out.

Outlook of the Food Crisis in Somalia

Typically, a food crisis builds up with several years of problems that all work together to put the country on the brink of famine. The same is true for Somalia as we see that at least 200,000 people have reached the most severe catastrophe-level of food crisis while millions more are headed there.

As a result of the food shortage in Somalia, people have to make some difficult choices, such as marrying off children at young ages, selling their bodies for money, or skipping consecutive meals frequently.

On top of dying from hunger, this also means that the people, particularly the children, are much weaker and more likely to catch common illnesses and even die from them. Manageable diseases such as malaria, measles, and diarrhea are all highly prevalent in the population and result in an alarming number of deaths.

Causes of the Food Crisis in Somalia

Now that we’ve understood how the food crisis unfolded in Somalia, let’s understand the factors that led the country to this problem. Here are the two broad reasons why Somalia is currently looking at an impending famine.

Political Instability

For more than three decades, Somalia has faced continuous political instability that has caused significant damage to the local economy as well as the government institutions. This has taken a toll on the country’s food production and made them dependent on imported grains. Since the country primarily imports from Ukraine and Russia, the conflict between these countries has also impacted the imports to Somalia.

Consecutive Failed Monsoon

On top of the political instability, Somalia has also faced five failed monsoon seasons that have further worsened the already impacted food production. Somalia’s rainfall forecast for 2023 is also sporadic and not enough to pull the country out of the food crisis.  

To that end, the food crisis is one of the top reasons why hundreds of thousands of people have already fled the country and continue to leave every year.

While the Somali diaspora is spread all over the world, there’s also a huge Somali community in Central Ohio that needs your help. If you want to donate to this cause, you can reach out to Somali Community Link. The non-profit organization helps with the social integration of over 75,000 Somali refugees in Ohio.  

Their all-encompassing Somali community resettlement services include housing and business development for the Somali community, education funding, legal advisory, and more.

Visit their website to donate or volunteer with them.