Sool Plateau pastoral food security project

This project is expanding VETAID’s work beyond Somaliland into Puntland and other areas of Somalia.

The goal of this project is to reduce poverty amongst 14,000 pastoralists in the districts of Dhahar, Qardho, Hudun and Taleh of Sool Plateau.

Pastoral communities in Sool Plateau are faced with numerous challenges to their food security. Sporadic and decreasing rains, environmental degradation, population growth and civil conflict have all contributed to their vulnerability. The ban on importation of Somali livestock by the main Arab importing countries has also had a crippling impact.

Key project activities:

• Train 50 community-based animal health workers to enhance livestock production and ultimately help increase food security in target pastoral communities.
• Develop community-based management and conservation of natural rangeland resources. Through cash-for-work schemes managed by local communities, 80 site-based erosion control structures are being built, eight rangeland sites are being re-seeded or planted with trees and 8 surface-water dams are being constructed.
• Improve food security assessment at community level. Informants are being trained to coordinate surveys of local needs and feed these into the regional assessments of bodies such as the UN and FSAU (Food Security Assessment Unit). This will improve drought preparedness and assist in ensuring needs are met before they become critical.
• Develop four Pastoral Associations to build the capacity of beneficiaries to plan and manage their own development and to increase the representation of pastoralist communities in the decisions that affect them.