Somalia
- 7.1 million
- people face acute food insecurity
- 213,000
- people face catastrophic hunger
- 12.3 million
- population
After a gradual recovery from the food insecurity and famine of 2011, Somalia’s food security is once again under threat. The situation is worsening in rural areas following consecutive seasons of poor rainfall and low river water levels. These have resulted in near total crop failures, reduced rural employment opportunities, widespread shortage of water and pasture – with consequent increases in livestock deaths. As local staple food prices continue to rise sharply and livestock prices decrease significantly, access to food is rapidly diminishing among poor families.
As of August 2022, 7.1 million people cannot meet their daily food requirements today and require urgent humanitarian assistance, with more than 200,000 facing catastrophic hunger. An estimated 1.5 million children under 5 suffer from acute malnutrition, of which 386,000 face a high risk of disease and death.
What the World Food Programme is doing in Somalia
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Nutrition
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To prevent acute and chronic malnutrition in children and their mothers, WFP distributes specially fortified foods. In the north and central regions, WFP provides seasonal nutritional assistance – including nutrient-rich supplementary food for all children under three – during lean periods. Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS patients and their families receive monthly food baskets to enhance their nutritional intake and the efficiency of medication.
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School meals
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School meals are a vital safety net for vulnerable families, particularly in times of crisis. WFP provides nutritious cooked meals to school children to relieve hunger and encourage primary school attendance. In some regions, we concentrate particularly on providing girls with take-home rations to promote gender equality in school enrollment.
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Vocational training
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WFP supports self-help initiatives in Somalia, providing food rations in return for business training or work on projects that strengthen community livelihoods, infrastructure and the environment. This includes building new assets such as water catchments, dams and shallow wells, and fighting soil erosion and restoring degraded land. This helps communities recover from crises such as drought and improves resilience to future disasters.
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Rapid emergency response
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WFP helps vulnerable communities strengthen their resilience to the effects of conflict and natural disasters, which can push people deeper into hunger and poverty. WFP has an early warning system that enables us to respond quickly and effectively to mitigate the impact of disasters. When necessary, we also provide special food, such as high energy biscuits, to communities in transit or affected by a crisis.
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Infrastructure rehabilitation
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WFP has supported the rehabilitation of the maritime infrastructure to improve the delivery of humanitarian goods. Rehabilitation of Mogadishu port and dredging of Bossaso port enhanced efficiency by enabling access for larger vessels, and brought economic benefits as trade volumes have increased. Efforts are now focused on raising funds to rehabilitate the strategically-important southern port of Kismayo.
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United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS)
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WFP manages UNHAS on behalf of the humanitarian community, providing critical and safe air services to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance and move aid workers to and within Somalia. UNHAS also provides medical and security evacuations, and can airlift essential cargo, such as medical supplies, to areas inaccessible by road.
Somalia news releases
Go to pageFind out more about the state of food security in Somalia
Visit the food security analysis pageOperations in Somalia
Contacts
Office
UN Crescent, Gigiri. PO Box 64902 - 00620
Somalia
Phone
+254 2 622930
Fax
+254 2 622058