Monday 21 November 2011
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Rural poverty in Somalia
Rural poverty in Somalia
Who and where are Somalia’s rural poor people?
The regions that have established autonomy and experienced relatively peaceful conditions — Somaliland in the north-west and Puntland in the north-east — have achieved a greater degree of stability than the rest of the country. The southern part of the country, where conflict has raged for more than 15 years, is inevitably poorer and in a more critical situation regarding food security, infrastructure and services.
Social groups that were already vulnerable prior to the 1990s have been further marginalized by the conflict and general instability. In particular indigenous groups and ethnic minorities have fallen into greater poverty, and many have been expelled from their traditional lands.
Women have particularly low status in Somalia. Many are illiterate or poorly educated, and they have inadequate access to health and family planning services. Female genital mutilation is widespread. The country has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. Every day about 45 women die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth.
Why are they poor?
Somalia does not abound in resources and depends heavily on agriculture to sustain its economy. Agricultural productivity is often at the mercy of climatic extremes, including periodic droughts and flooding. In 2006 floods in parts of southern and central Somalia caused widespread devastation, destroying food stores, cutting off access to food supplies and contaminating water supplies and sanitation facilities.
Livestock is essential to the economy. Over 60 per cent of the population depends directly on livestock for food and income. Outbreaks of disease frequently go unchecked and untreated as a result of the lack of an effective disease control strategy. Over the last decade Saudi Arabia has imposed several livestock bans because of disease concerns, and these have severely hampered the sector and generated serious problems for the pastoralists whose livelihoods depend upon the sale of livestock.
Large stocks of animals put considerable pressure on grazing land, causing land degradation and generating disputes over land rights. In the absence of regulatory measures, competition over resources, especially land and water, is a major component of the current conflict.
Qat addiction among the population has become a real problem. Excessive chewing of qat leaves leads to listlessness and disinterest in family and work: It reduces productivity and leads farmers to abandon animal husbandry.
Conflict and instability aggravate poverty
More than 15 years without an effective central government and a chaotic state of ongoing civil conflict and lawlessness have had a devastating effect on the country's population and the resources they depend upon for their survival.
Extreme poverty has become widespread and large numbers of people are unable to meet basic food requirements. Many Somalis have been internally displaced, often from rural to urban areas. The strongest clans have taken over valuable agricultural land, expelling weaker clans and indigenous peoples from their traditional lands. Vulnerable people have lost their assets and livelihoods. Famine and disease have raged unchecked, causing the death of about one million people. Extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure makes it extremely difficult to deliver humanitarian assistance to those who need it.
Extended civil conflict has had a direct or indirect impact on many resources, but competition for access to some resources has also been and continues to be a source of conflict itself. In the absence of a central government and regulation, many traditional forms of natural resource management have been abandoned, leading to unsustainable exploitation. For example, overgrazing and uncontrolled harvesting of trees to make charcoal in parts of the north-west and the Kismayo area have led to environmental degradation that may be difficult to reverse. Un-regulated off-shore fishing threatens marine resources.
Somalia faces a number of major obstacles to development: civil conflict, the lack of a fully functioning central government, and natural calamities such as drought and floods. In addition, the ongoing armed struggle has often prevented much-needed humanitarian assistance from reaching the population. Poverty has inevitably increased since the early 1990s and the collapse of the government and onset of civil war. About 43 per cent of the population lives in extreme poverty, or on less than US$1 per day. This figure rises to 53 per cent in rural areas, where extreme poverty is more prevalent.
Health indicators for the population have shown a decline since 1991, an inevitable consequence of the collapse of public services and destruction of infrastructure. Child survival improved after the famine of the early 1990s, but is still low and has deteriorated since the end of the 1990s. Malnutrition continues to be prevalent throughout the country.
Who and where are Somalia’s rural poor people?
The regions that have established autonomy and experienced relatively peaceful conditions — Somaliland in the north-west and Puntland in the north-east — have achieved a greater degree of stability than the rest of the country. The southern part of the country, where conflict has raged for more than 15 years, is inevitably poorer and in a more critical situation regarding food security, infrastructure and services.
Social groups that were already vulnerable prior to the 1990s have been further marginalized by the conflict and general instability. In particular indigenous groups and ethnic minorities have fallen into greater poverty, and many have been expelled from their traditional lands.
Women have particularly low status in Somalia. Many are illiterate or poorly educated, and they have inadequate access to health and family planning services. Female genital mutilation is widespread. The country has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. Every day about 45 women die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth.
Why are they poor?
Somalia does not abound in resources and depends heavily on agriculture to sustain its economy. Agricultural productivity is often at the mercy of climatic extremes, including periodic droughts and flooding. In 2006 floods in parts of southern and central Somalia caused widespread devastation, destroying food stores, cutting off access to food supplies and contaminating water supplies and sanitation facilities.
Livestock is essential to the economy. Over 60 per cent of the population depends directly on livestock for food and income. Outbreaks of disease frequently go unchecked and untreated as a result of the lack of an effective disease control strategy. Over the last decade Saudi Arabia has imposed several livestock bans because of disease concerns, and these have severely hampered the sector and generated serious problems for the pastoralists whose livelihoods depend upon the sale of livestock.
Large stocks of animals put considerable pressure on grazing land, causing land degradation and generating disputes over land rights. In the absence of regulatory measures, competition over resources, especially land and water, is a major component of the current conflict.
Qat addiction among the population has become a real problem. Excessive chewing of qat leaves leads to listlessness and disinterest in family and work: It reduces productivity and leads farmers to abandon animal husbandry.
Conflict and instability aggravate poverty
More than 15 years without an effective central government and a chaotic state of ongoing civil conflict and lawlessness have had a devastating effect on the country's population and the resources they depend upon for their survival.
Extreme poverty has become widespread and large numbers of people are unable to meet basic food requirements. Many Somalis have been internally displaced, often from rural to urban areas. The strongest clans have taken over valuable agricultural land, expelling weaker clans and indigenous peoples from their traditional lands. Vulnerable people have lost their assets and livelihoods. Famine and disease have raged unchecked, causing the death of about one million people. Extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure makes it extremely difficult to deliver humanitarian assistance to those who need it.
Extended civil conflict has had a direct or indirect impact on many resources, but competition for access to some resources has also been and continues to be a source of conflict itself. In the absence of a central government and regulation, many traditional forms of natural resource management have been abandoned, leading to unsustainable exploitation. For example, overgrazing and uncontrolled harvesting of trees to make charcoal in parts of the north-west and the Kismayo area have led to environmental degradation that may be difficult to reverse. Un-regulated off-shore fishing threatens marine resources.
Source: IFAD
Wednesday 2 November 2011
Pakistan: UN launches response to help millions affected by monsoon floods
Children cook their daily meal in one of the 5,900 camps that sprung up across Pakistan in 2010 when the country was hit by the worst floods in its history. Nearly 20 million people were affected as flood waters swept across the country. Torrential monsoon rains have pounded southern Pakistan, triggering serious flooding affecting more than five million people, among them communities still recovering from last year’s extraordinary floods.
The disaster has reportedly claimed the lives of 199 people, destroyed or damaged nearly one million houses, and flooded 4.2 million acres of land, prompting the Government of Pakistan to call for support from the United Nations.
The situation for those affected by recent monsoons and subsequent floods is critical. Thousands of people are in urgent need of assistance due to lack of food and safe drinking water, as well as the loss of livelihoods and homes.
Sindh is by far the worst affected province, with torrential rains in the hardest hit areas having led to rainfall exceeding, in a few days, what on average accumulates in an entire monsoon season. The Government reports 22 out of 23 districts of Sindh are covered in floodwater as well as some parts of Balochistan Province.
Seeing first hand today the devastation and vast amount of flood water in Sindh, now is a crucial time to stand in solidarity with the people of Pakistan, and build on the lessons learned from the recent 2010 floods response to support the Government of Pakistan in their ongoing monsoon relief efforts, " said Timo Pakkala, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan, following a field visit.
Scaling up the humanitarian response
Despite extensive relief efforts by the Government of Pakistan, needs remain huge. At the request of the Government, United Nations agencies have started to help those affected by the heavy rains and launched needs assessments. The most acute needs are expected in shelter, food security, water, sanitation hygiene and health. Furthermore, needs assessments and response strategies include nutrition, protection and early recovery including community restoration.With over 222,000 people displaced in camps and temporary settlements, shelter needs are large. In response, the UN’s Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, and national NGO HANDS are delivering 3,400 tents starting 13 September. Additional shelter materials are being dispatched and the Government of Pakistan, the Pakistani Red Crescent Society and other organizations have to date provided over 85,000 tents to affected districts in Sindh.
People living in camps and temporary settlements along with other vulnerable communities will be in need of emergency food support. The World Food Programme (WFP) is therefore moving rations to Badin for distribution early next week. The Government and other departments have to date provided over 512,000 food rations to people in need. Emergency health care is also being provided to people affected by the crisis to help reduce the risk of communicable diseases.
In this rapidly evolving emergency, the United Nations is committed to supporting flood affected communities and the Government’s relief efforts. Last year’s floods killed some 2,000 people and submerged about a fifth of the country’s land, affecting 20 million people in total.
Tuesday 1 November 2011
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