World Bank approves $40m grant to support Somalia’s desert locust response

The locust invasion has gravely impacted the livelihoods of nearly 2.6 million living in forty-three districts of Somalia.

The World Bank Board of Directors today approved a $40 million International Development Assistance (IDA) grant for Somalia as part of the Emergency Locust Response Program, which seeks to respond to the threat posed by the locust outbreak and strengthen systems for preparedness in affected countries in Africa and the Middle East. 

The locust invasion has gravely impacted the livelihoods of nearly 2.6 million living in forty-three districts of Somalia. The agriculture sector remains the backbone of the economy and accounts for about 75 percent of GDP.  

The Shock Responsive Safety Net for Locust Response (SNLRP) will focus on addressing the immediate impact of the locust infestation on poor and vulnerable households by meeting their short-term food security and consumption needs and protecting their livelihoods and human capital assets through emergency cash transfer. The project builds on the new and Government-led “Baxnaano” (meaning uplifting in Somali) national cash transfer program. It also complements the recently approved Somalia Crisis Recovery Project (SCRP), which focuses on measures to control the spread of locusts and to restore the livelihoods of smallholder households by providing re-engagement farming packages.  

“The locust invasion risks are aggravating the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia and leading to reduced access to food, loss of income, resource-based conflict and limited migration options,” said World Bank Country Director for Somalia, Felipe Jaramillo. “We are supporting the Federal Government of Somalia to put in place a social protection system under the Baxnaano program that can respond quickly to protect subsistence farmers and pastoralists, from falling into deeper levels of food insecurity, as well as preventing the sale/loss of their productive assets.” 

After more than two decades of conflict and insecurity, Somalia is gradually establishing the foundations for stability and a new political settlement. However, wide-spread poverty and vulnerability to natural disasters, epidemics and unemployment shocks threaten this progress and the well-being of millions of Somalis. For example, Somalia has experienced 14 droughts since 1960, averaging one every four years. Today, nearly 70 percent of Somalis live below the international poverty line with poverty being more acute in rural areas, making Somalia the third poorest country in the region.  

“During a crisis, poor and vulnerable households are hit hard because they have the least ability to adapt in times of crisis, so they adopt negative coping mechanisms, such as eating less food or less nutritious food, selling off their productive assets and taking children out of school, in order to meet their short-term needs,” said World Bank Task Team Leader for Somalia, Afrah Alawi Al-Ahmadi. “Such measures have a long-term negative impact on the accumulation of human capital of impacted households. The Project will support around 100,000 households with cash assistance to access food and basic needs and therefore, enable them to protect their human and physical assets during the crisis.”