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Our Programme

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Somalia has over 400 staff and six offices across Somalia along with a support office in Nairobi, Kenya. The country portfolio includes 76 different projects countrywide. Through its programmes, the organization works towards a transformation of agri-food systems in Somalia in alignment with FAO’s global Strategic Framework centered around the four ‘Betters’ – Better Life, Better Production, Better Nutrition and Better Environment.

Ranging from emergency response, resilience and development programming with a conflict-sensitive lens, FAO’s work in Somalia centers around improving food security and nutrition and protecting livelihoods in the face of shocks as well as promoting resilient agri-food value chains, integrated water and land management, climate smart agri-food systems and providing technical support and capacity development to the Government of Somalia at local, State and Federal levels across the areas within its mandate. FAO in Somalia works closely with government and communities to secure a better future for the people of Somalia.

FAO’s work in Somalia also includes the provision of timely and relevant food security, nutrition and water and land management information for decision-makers through its Somalia Water And Land Information Management Project (SWALIM) and Food Security Nutrition and Analysis (FSNAU) programmes. FAO co-leads the Food Security Cluster in Somalia and globally ensuring a well-coordinated and technically sound approach to crisis response.

FAO’s global mandate is to improve nutrition, increase agricultural productivity, raise the standard of living in rural populations and contribute to global economic growth. In Somalia, FAO focuses on saving lives as well as supporting rural communities to withstand, adapt to and recover faster from crises by strengthening and fortifying their livelihoods systems. These programmes are underpinned by data-centric scientific approaches that monitor and analyze market systems, climatic, environmental and food security and nutrition related data.

Interventions are informed by a thorough understanding of the specific needs of targeted communities. For instance, agriculture and livestock input packages are tailored to respective ecological zones of communities targeted (riverine farmers, rain-fed farmers, pastoralists), and take into consideration households that have little or no control of, or access to factors of production. Such households are mostly provided with cash transfers (FAO’s Cash+ approach) to improve their access to food, basic needs, and capital to invest in livelihoods.

FAO also embraces community- based targeting approaches where representative selection committees are engaged in the identification of the most vulnerable people, especially those from minority groups. These often include women, youth, people living with disabilities, and households from minority clans. In addition, where possible, FAO embraces market- based approaches in delivery of assistance in order to support local markets and sustainability in service provision.