81307657-Promoting climate resilience in food security in Jubaland

"Promoting Climate Resilience in Food Security in Jubbaland Somalia" is a Transitional Development Assistance project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with a current project duration of approximately three years (11/2023 - 09/2026). The project region is Kismayo district, lower Juba region, Somalia. Somalia is still marked by the aftermath of three decades of civil war. The average young population suffers from poverty and high unemployment. Women, children and minorities, whose rights are further restricted, are particularly hard hit. In addition, there are recurring extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and cyclones, which destroy livelihoods and infrastructure. The loss of livelihoods is causing widespread internal displacement. More than 2.6 million people are currently Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), migrating predominantly to urban centres which are unable to provide adequate services to either IDPs or the resident population. The difficult humanitarian situation is exacerbated by the increased number of Somali refugees voluntarily returning from Kenya. In the Southern part of the country (Lower Juba), the situation is particularly precarious: 43 % of the population is considered poor and 40 % is food insecure. Due to limited resources (food, water, access to land, income-generating opportunities), basic services for the entire population in Kismayo and the neighbouring villages are continuously critical and the Jubaland government is unable to meet the growing needs. Many households in urban and peri-urban areas do not have enough nutritious food from their own production or the financial means to purchase it on the partially functioning markets. The adaptation and coping capacities (resilience) of these households are particularly weakened. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge at household level about nutrition-sensitive food preparation options. This leads to malnutrition and poor hygiene, which further increases vulnerability to disease. Under the cumulative impact of the ongoing conflict in Somalia, the vulnerable peri-urban population in Jubaland lacks the resilience capacities to adapt their food security practices to ongoing climate change and to cushion the impact of extreme weather events. The project therefore implements a multisectoral approach with the objective of improving the food and nutrition security situation of its target groups with a focus on climate adaptation strategies. Target groups are the food insecure and vulnerable local population, internally displaced people, and returnees in the peri-urban area around Kismayo, with a focus on women and women-headed households. The objective is to be achieved through three outputs: (A) Access to nutritious food is improved: The impact hypothesis for Output A is that nutrition-sensitive and climate-adapted varieties can be identified for peri-urban Kismayo, and the target group trained in their cultivation as a contribution to improved climate adaptation strategies regarding food security; (B) Opportunities for income generation are enhanced: The impact hypothesis is that diversification of income opportunities will contribute to improved climate adaptation strategies for food security; (C) Conditions for a safely managed drinking water supply are created: The impact hypothesis is that this will be achieved through an increase in knowledge at the newly established Jubbaland Water Agency (JUWA). The project builds a bridge from short-term emergency aid measures to longer-term development cooperation. It aims to improve food security to strengthen resilience and strives for impacts in terms of all three dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social). By strengthening the capacities and competencies of households and local structures on site, the greatest possible leverage is developed to achieve sustainable effectiveness in a highly fragile and volatile context.