if
you've seen any of the photos and TV footage from the ongoing famine in
Somalia, you could be forgiven for thinking that the disaster was an
inevitability. Coverage often shows a dusty, barren landscape, scattered
with few shrubs or trees. So, quite understandably, you could find
yourself asking, 'How can people ever survive, and how can food ever
grow, in such a tough environment?'
And
while it's true that Somalia is a dry country and has been hit by
severe drought in the past, what the news often doesn't go on to explain
is that despite the challenging conditions, drought does not have to
lead to disaster. Far from it, in fact. Because with the right
investment, and by putting into practice the right kind of environmental
management systems, life – and food – can flourish.
Indeed
in some parts of the country it already is. One such example, that I’d
like to share with you in this blog, is an Oxfam-funded project in
Ga'anLibah.
Stone terraces halt the runoff of topsoil
Ten
years ago, Ga'anLibah was on the brink of environmental disaster. In
1988, the outbreak of civil war across Somalia caused a sudden end to
decades of conservation work. As conflict engulfed the region, both
traditional and governmental management systems disintegrated.
Indiscriminate cutting down of mountain trees resulted in the thinning
of forest cover and reduced biodiversity. And as trees and grasses began
to die away, livestock numbers declined, resulting in a loss of income
for the pastoralist farmers who depend on the area to earn a living.
More
than a decade later, when the conflict had died down and peace
gradually began to return, communities slowly moved back to the region
too. And at the same time that people return to their homes, Candlelight (a
partner organization that Oxfam works with in the region) began a new
initiative of simple but innovative solutions to help the land recover.
Stone
terraces were constructed to halt the runoff of topsoil. Indigenous
trees – best suited to grow in the dry conditions – were planted.
After
only two rainy seasons, new vegetation was growing again. And as the
years have rolled on, additional soils have built up, grasslands have
recovered, and grazing animals have begun to return. Where the plateau
used to be bare, vegetation is now thick.
Widespread famine is completely avoidable
Like many
other areas across the Horn of Africa, 2011 has been a dry year for the
Ga’anLibah highlands. But despite these challenges, grazing has been
relatively good and the highland’s watering points have still been
supplying water.
Though
Somalia faces a number of complicated challenges that reach far beyond
environmental management along, what's important here is that with the
right investment and the right pre-planning, widespread famine is
completely avoidable.
And
what’s more, the pastoralist farmers who depend on the area are now able
to earn a living again. This not only means healthier families, but
more children getting an education as their families can now afford to
send them to school.
As Ahmed
Awale, the director of Candlelight, puts it: "The fact that these people
find refuge in Ga’anLibah shows our approach was right. The secret is
continuity... The same approach is replicable in large parts of
Somaliland, and elsewhere in Somalia."
Source Candlelight Official Website
