WB approves US$7 million to help Somalia improve crop, livestock production
11/9/2008 17:42
The World Bank has approved a grant of US$7 million to support
Somalia's urgent need to increase crop and livestock production in rural areas
affected by the drought and the current global food crisis.
A statement from
the Bank said on Thursday that the emergency grant for the Somalia Rapid
Response Rehabilitation of Rural Livelihoods Project will be funded under the
Bank's recently launched Global Food Crisis Response Program.
"Somalia is one
of the countries most affected by the global food price crisis and has a dire
humanitarian situation affecting over 3.2 million Somalis," said James
Christopher Lovelace, country manager for Somalia.
The project seeks to
address the immediacy of the situation by responding to the urgent need for
financial assistance arising from the impact of the current food crisis
identified by authorities in Somalia and by the international community and
putting in place inputs and infrastructure for the short run that will serve to
improve food production.
"Activities under the project will build on the
ongoing projects in Somalia to assist in addressing the crisis with increased
attention to crops and livestock productivity, particularly in mainstreaming
nutrition and gender concerns in the interventions," it said.
The Bank said
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Emergency Operations unit for
Somalia based in Nairobi will manage the grant.
It will also implement and
monitor the project through partnerships with international and local
non-governmental organizations with a strong operational presence in project
areas. Other partners, if necessary, will also be involved.
"We are
responding collectively with the World Bank and other agencies to avert a crisis
that continues to deteriorate at a rate and severity that we have not seen in
over 15 years," said Graham Farmer, officer in charge of FAO Somalia.
"This
important and crucial grant will enable Somali people to avoid stripping of
productive assets and protect their livelihoods, " Farmer said.
In its last
month report, the FAO Food Security Analysis Unit ( FSAU) warned of the
devastating impact of sky rocketing food prices on the poor and vulnerable
people of Somalia.
The situation has been aggravated by the extreme
devaluation of the Somali Shilling, deepening drought following an abnormally
harsh dry season, delayed and poor start of the mid-April to June rains and
prolonged civil conflict.
The grant will address the urgent need for
financial support to finance gaps in existing programs being implemented by
international, national and non-governmental institutions.
Somalia still
remains a fragile and a high risk country.
Xinhua
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