Famine and

Hunger Crisis in
Somalia
Presented by: Taylor Petersen, Shayna
Prebish, Rachel Petersen, and Kaitlin Allan
 Region
● Located in the Horn of Africa
● Capital: Mogadishu
● Nation formed in 1960
● Population: 12.3 million
● Ethnic groups: Somali (85%), non-Somali (15%)
● Religion: Sunni Islam (official)
● Official Languages: Somali and Arabic
● Country is in a vulnerable state
Background 3.2 million
Somalis
cannot meet
● Famine: an extreme lack of their daily food
requirements
food in a region, causing
suffering and death 6.2 million
● Recurring droughts people in
○ Drought of 2010-2012 Somalia
currently
○ Current drought
face food
declared: February of insecurity
2017 and lack of
clean
water
 Agricultural Economy and Climate
● Climate: Why does drought hit Somalia so hard?
○ Tropical climate with Reduced employment
irregular rainfall Crop
opportunities

○ Frequent droughts, dust failures

Staple food prices rising
and water
storms throughout shortage
eastern plains Access to food diminishing
● Economy:
○ Agriculture and livestock
production
○ Meets food needs and
generates income for the
country
Impacts of Drought
● Raising malnutrition rates among children and the
elderly
● Huge increases in the number of Somali refugees
● Food shortages
○ Exacerbated by the lack of humanitarian access in
many areas
● Increased mortality rate
○ June 2011: 7.4 deaths per 10,000 per day
Nutritional Impacts
● Many Somali adults are eating just one meal a day and
children don't have enough to eat.
● Families are selling livestock, borrowing money and
migrating in search of food and work.
● Improving access to food, water, and protecting
livelihoods is essential to prevent further depletion of
household assets.
Somali Lifestyle
● Life is sustained by hard work
○ Tradesmen, shopkeepers, farmers, fishermen, store
owners
○ Livestock inland is traded with salt, dates, and
oceanic products from the coast
○ Somali producers dependent upon the export
market for their livelihood
○ Fishing became a source of income during drought
Gender Roles & Family
● The basic unit of Somali social life is the reer or nuclear
family
● Husband is responsible for the family’s affairs outside
of the home
● Wife assumes the role of household manager
○ Prepares food, takes care of and milks animals,
maintenance of the house, etc.
Meal Times
● 3 meals a day
● Breakfast eaten from 7 - 9am
● Lunch eaten between 12 - 2pm
● Dinner eaten between 6 - 9pm
Staple Foods
● Most meals include meat
● Most Somali are Muslims so no pork
● Milk is very popular
● Spiced tea
● Liver
● Rice
Staple Dishes
Sambusas Anjera Bariis

Muufo Basbousa Halwa

Holidays
● Primarily Sunni Muslim
● New Year’s Day, Labour Day, Independence Day, Republic Day
● Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
● Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice)
● Ashura
● Mawlid al-Nabi (Birth of Muhammad)
● Mi’raaj al-Nabi (Muhammad’s Ascension to Heaven)
● Islamic New Year/Muharram
Holidays
● Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan): June 26th
○ Zakat al-fitr: charity of food or equal monetary value
● Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice): September 2nd
○ Udhiya: usually a goat or sheep
● Muharram: September 21st
○ First day of Muharram: first month of the year
● Mawlid al-Nabi (Birth of Muhammad): December 1st
Issues & Solutions
● Small window to stop a repeat of previous famines
● Urgent call for aid by the United Nations
● Governments are donating money
● Feeding centers in the capital - Mogadishu
● Groups in country to provide food, sanitation, water, and money
○ Construct portable showers and toilets
● Help with emergency aid directly
● Donations to Ocha, World Vision, MSF, Concern, WFP
Question 1
What is the meat preferred by Somalis?

a. Beef
b. Chicken
c. Goat meat
d. Fish
Question 1 Answer

C, Goat Meat
Question 2
Which is not a staple dish?

a. Sambusas
b. Azifa
c. Muufo
d. Halwa
Question 2 Answer

B. Azifa

(an ethiopian dish)

Question 3
Which of the following are ways to help the famine in
Somalia?

a. Provide clean food and water

b. Build portable showers and toilets
c. Helping with emergency aid
d. All of the above
Question 3 Answer

D. all of the above

References
Africa News Service. 2012. Caritas Appeals for Help in Famine-Hit Somalia.

Brocchetto, M., & Bloom, D. (2017, March 07). Somalia drought: 110 die amid fears of famine. Retrieved April 22, 2017, from
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/04/africa/somalia-drought-deaths/

Countries and their Cultures. (2017). Somalia. Retrieved April 22, 2017, from http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Somalia.html

Decker, J. (2005). Eating Habits of Members of the Somali Community: Discussion Summary. USDA. Retrieved April 22, 2017, from
https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/snap/resourcefinder/EatingHabits.pdf.

Dwyer, C. (2017). Drought Threatens To Drive Famine In Somalia As Hunger Kills More Than 100. NPR. Retrieved from
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/05/518624610/drought-threatens-to-drive-famine-in-somalia-as-hunger-kills-more-than-100

FAO.org. (2017). Retrieved April 22, 2017, from http://www.fao.org/somalia/programmes-and-projects/agriculture/en

Gettleman, J. (2012). U.N. Says Somalia Famine Has Ended, but Warns That Crisis Isn’t Over. New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/world/africa/un-says-famine-in-somalia-is-over-but-risks-remain.html

Lamble, L., Quinn, B., McVeigh, K., Akinwotu, E. (2017). How to donate: South Sudan famine and Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria food crises. The