Why drought doesn't have to lead to disaster?

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