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Somalia

Somalia: Food Security and Nutrition Quarterly Brief 17 Dec 2009 - Focus on Post Deyr season early warning

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KEY FINDINGS

There are signs of improvement in the overall food security situation in most livelihoods of Somalia, as a result of near normal crop performance, good pasture/browse conditions and improved water availability following average and above average Deyr '09 rains. The post-Deyr seasonal outlookis favourable in most agropastoral and riverine areas of Somalia. Cereal production is expected to be near normal in southern Somalia, as well as in the Cowpea Belt in southern and central parts of the country. The harvest in the northwest agropastoral areas is also likely to exceed the previously forecasted below average levels. Flash floods occurred in localised areas of southern Somalia during this Deyr season resulting in temporary displacements and minor damage to crops and other property. However, the negative impact of these floods was not significant, while in some areas, the heavy rains even increased the demand for labour and contributed to improved labour wage rates.

Livestock conditions, trade and prices have all shown improvement. Labour opportunities have improved, while cereal prices decreased in most areas, which led to improvements in the terms of trade and purchasing power of populations in most livelihoods. The value of the Somali Shilling showed signs of strengthening although depreciation still remains high compared to pre-inflation levels. Significantly, civil security has further deteriorated in most areas of southern and central Somalia triggering population displacement, restricting movement of people and goods and hampering a provision of humanitarian aid. Recent nutritional surveys indicate a sustained Nutritional Crisis in the Central zone and Hiran region, highlighting the need for on-going humanitarian interventions.