Shabelle Relief and Development Organization (SHARDO) ASSESSMENT REPORT ON THE MECHANISMS AND NEEDS OF THE POPULATION LIVING IN JOWHAR, ADALE AND ADAN YABAL, WARSHEIKH DISTRICITS OF MIDDLE SHABELLE REGION. 1. General principles: Name of the implementing Agency Shabelle Relief and Development Organization (SHARDO) Name of the Funding Agency Somali – Swedish Intellectual Banadir Organization (SIBO) Assessment Period: 1st – 10th December 2007 Reporting Period: 15th December 2007 Contact Person: Mohamed Ahmed Moallim Tell: +252 1 644449 Mobile: +252 1 5513089 Email: [email protected] 1 2. Contents 1. General Principles Page 1 2. Contents 2 3. Introduction 3 4. General Objective 3 5. Specific Objective 3 6. General and Social demographic, economical Mechanism in Middle Shabelle region 4 1.1 Farmers 5 1.2 Agro – Pastoralists 5 1.3 Adale District 7 1.4 Fishermen 2 3. Introduction: Middle Shabelle is located in the south central zone of Somalia The region borders: Galgadud to the north, Hiran to the West, Lower Shabelle and Banadir regions to the south and the Indian Ocean to the east. A pre – war census estimated the population at 1.4 million and today the regional council claims that the region’s population is 1.6 million. The major clans are predominant Hawie and shiidle. Among hawiye clans: Abgal, Galjecel, monirity include: Mobilen, Hawadle, Kabole and Hilibi. The regional consists of seven (7) districts: Jowhar – the regional capital, Bal’ad, Adale, A/yabal, War sheikh, Runirgon and Mahaday. The region supports livestock production, rain-fed and gravity irrigated agriculture and fisheries, with an annual rainfall between 150 and 500 millimeters covering an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometers, the region has a 400 km coastline on Indian Ocean. The Shabelle River runs through 150 kms in the region. 4. General Objectives a. Developed a clear understanding of the mechanisms in the MSH region and the districts of Jowhar, Adale and Adan yabal and warsheikh b. Identification of the needs of the population in these three districts. c. Develop an appropriate program opportunities. 5. Specific Objectives. a. Propose an understandable context habits of the population. b. Propose understandable context of the local mechanism at micro- micro levels, weakness and opportunities. c. Identification of quantity and quality of various communities and representatives of association and NGOs d. Measurement of acceptance over the international presence/feasibility of the project/program implementation. e. Fixable capacity to cope natural disasters and identification of the most vulnerable population in regard to nutritional acid. f. WATSAN point of views within in the community to identify the IDPs…. 3 6. General and Social demographic, economical mechanism in Middle Shabelle Region The region is in the south/central zone of Somalia, it is located in what it use to b ex – Banadir – Galgadud to the north, Hiran to the west, lower Shabelle and Banadir to the south and the Indian Ocean to the east. Census made in late 70s estimated the population about 1.2 million. The clans compose of the Hawie (Abgal the majority, Galjecel and the Shidle (Bantu) in the riverine districts. Other clans Moblen, Hawadle and Kabole. Region consists of eight districts: Jowhar, Bal’ad, Adale, Adanyabal, War sheikh, Runirgod, Ragelle and Mahaday. The region has livestock, rain-fed and gravity irrigated agriculture as well as fisheries. The annual rainfall 150 – 500mm The area of the region is estimated to be about 60,000 km2, the region has 400km long sea shore bordered to the Indian Ocean and riverine area of 150km Shabelle River through the region. After collapse of the central government of 1991 the region never recovered from destruction of the private properties a huge influx of refugees fled from the region to other parties of the country to the neighboring countries and the USA,N. America, Europe, Middle east and Africa. Infrastructure, governmental and private buildings either destroyed or looted. There always exists at least once a year a devastating floods that destroys all the farm lands in the reverine villages cuts all forms of communication to reverine communities, makes accessibility in possible, cuts the high way to and from Mogadishu and the rest of the country. The coastal districts of the region: Adale War Sheikh and Runirgod are pastoralist, agro-pastoralist and fisherman; the region has large number of livestock, camel, cattle ships and goats. The area has various marine life deep sea fishing; coastal fishing coral netting activities are very common in the region. In late 2004, the coastal districts of the region received yet the worst blow ever, Tsunami which destroyed all the fishing gears, fishing boats, equipments about 300 fishing villages wiped out and entirely destroyed, includes the infrastructure human lives and properties. There exists a massive seasonal flooding from the Shabelle river, the heavy rains in the Ethiopian high lands which resulted the destruction of the cash crops, village settlements, seasonal crop storage facilities and all infrastructures such as bridges, radial gates, canal outlets, dike and the water way systems. From 1st to 10th of December 2007 SHARDO team carried out this assessment at reverine agricultural villages and the coastal villages of the region to find the 4 livelihood situation of these farming and fishing folk communities and their food security situation. The team met, the community elders and women committees, the team delivered the object of their mission to the communities and their leaders.. 6.1 Farmers In Balad Wayne village, the total population is 570HH ethnic Bantu minority and are traditional farmers, they work in a small scale farming system using primitive farming techniques and they grow various crops namely: maize, sesame, beans and vegetables to cover their household consumption, as the farming in these riverine areas are using gravity irrigation system they have experienced in the last 17 years they been experiencing poor irrigation infrastructure due to inappropriate or luck of rehabilitation of irrigation canal system. This resulted poor crop product and also contributed food insecurity to these respective farming communities. In addition to that, natural disasters were common as Gu and the Deer rain season causes recurrent floods that destroyed all the expected harvest and submerged thousands hector of cultivated farm land forcing those farmers to becoming IDPs with bare hands as flood washed away their fields. people remain food insecure and malnutritioned, specially the children lactating/pregnant women and elderly people. The pregnant women who are ready to deliver babies have to travel to nearest hospital Jowhar for 23km as midwifes in these villages are not well trained with poor and unhygienic unsterilized equipments that causes death and infectious diseases. The children of these riverine communities have no education opportunities due to inappropriate schools/instructors and most of children have no basic rights of education. 6.2 THE AGRO – PASTORALISTS On 8th and 10th of Deceber 2007 a three days visit was conducted by the survey team at the Moorajiido and Gololeey moobleen of Moobleen clan villages in the Jowhar District. The Moorajiido has population of 350HH Gololeey Moobleen has population of 700HH These communities are agro – pastoralists who rear cattle and goats sheep and small scale businesses are the bases of their livelihoods . They grow sorghum and beans in their small scale substance farming activities as they are rain-fed and far from the river. The seasonal rainfall is from 300mm to 400mm they cultivate in the Gu’ and the Deyr seasons which was very low in the past eight years due to the shortage of rain most of the harvest is poor and low in production yield therefore, the crop production is not sufficient to cover their households needs and the livelihood is not secure. in the last 17 years these villages were in drought, that caused luck of grass to graze their livestock and that also caused animal depilation and food insecurity. Due to these impacts of several recurrent shocks in the last 7 years 5 includes lowest serial production, the trade disruption, massive IDPs, hyperinflation has reduced the livelihood of these population and increased humanitarian needs, stable and unstable food prices are continuing and increasing sharply and getting beyond the reach of their capacity they are also hosting IDPs in rural households. Both food availability and its access abilities are among several constrains for the poor HH due to devaluation of Somali shillings, increased transportation cost and conflict related divisions in trade, imported/export activities. The only opportunity of these communities (as identified by the assessment team) is the Congo Canal that runs from the river to near location where they do their farming activities. Poor water and sanitation conditions limits their health, increased food sharing and food access have let high malnutrition this means that most of children, lactating/ pregnant women and elderly in the rural are in very poor health conditions. The population is acutely malnutrition as they drink from the contaminated water in the catchments and face poor sanitation conditions which are the greatest risk of water born diseases such as acute water diarrhea and other diseases. In solidarity of these communities, they have developed their own traditional water sources such as water catchments these water catchments are used both human/ animals consumption as the water sources is very limited and insufficient to these community. Water sources, poor farming practices and poor irrigation schemes are among their major constraints. A team carried out an assessment mission to Adale and Adan yabal districts in the middle Shabelle region and 18 villages of these 2 districts has been surveyed discussed and asked questions. 6.3 Adale Districts December 2007, Adale and 11 villages Adale district has a population of 28,000HH, clan in this district mixed of Hawiye (Abgal and Banadiri and other ethnic minorities).