Fik Pastoral Livelihood Zone (LZ1) Geographical Features • Terrain: mostly hilly and browse-rich (thick, thorny bush good for goats and camels). Some pockets of good grazing for cattle and sheep. Dagahbur zone Shallow wells in seasonal river areas provide fairly • reliable water sources, although water quality (saline) deteriorates in dry seasons. Areas distant from seasonal rivers are more vulnerable to water shortages; here people use natural ponds where rainwater collects, available in the wet season only. Population and Geographic Coverage District’s Rural Administrative Zone Districts % Popn in LZ Popn in LZ Popn Fik zone Fik 120,220 80% 96,176 Hamero 44,077 95% 41,873 Sagag 22,751 85% 19,339 Duhun 29,557 85% 25,124 Gerbo 30,847 90% 27,762 Dagahbur zone Dagahmadow 37,556 40% 15,022 Total population of Fik Pastoral LZ ( as % of Regional Rural popn = 5.9%) 225,296 Source: Population figures – 2007 estimates based on 1994 Census Livelihoods Livelihoods: Pastoral: camel, sheep/goats (shoats) and cattle. Opportunistic farming if the rains are good (but unreliable: only two successful harvests in the last ten years). Access to water: There are numerous water points, mostly shallow wells in seasonal riverbeds; but distant areas may suffer water shortages as they rely on rainwater ponds. Livestock and migration: Goats and camels are predominant due to the terrain; shoats (mainly goats) are important ‘liquid’ livestock in the local markets, therefore important for cereal purchases. Camels are important for transport and milk (consumption and income). Pasture is surveyed regularly (more in dry seasons); migration follows accordingly. Normal livestock migration is within the zone - nearer to permanent water points (dry season). In difficult seasons camels (including some milking stock) may move further afield to adjacent districts, zones or even to Oromia Region. In drought situations whole families may move with livestock. In bad years livestock migrates into Fik Zone from other areas. Food, income and expenditure: Food sources include staple (maize and sorghum) and non-staple (sugar) food purchases, milk and ghee. Income sources are principally the sale of livestock and their products (middle and better-off households), and livestock sale and collection/sale of bush products (poor households). Poor households spend most on staple food purchases and less on non-staple and household items (clothes, etc.); middle and better-off households spend relatively more on non-staple and household items, as well as on veterinary inputs and social services (gifts, education, medicine). Markets: Main livestock markets are Babile (especially for oxen and camel milk), Garbo (camels for export) and Dagahbur. Since the livestock ban (Sept 2000) there is no external demand to drive Garbo Market. Vulnerabilities and responses: High dependency on livestock means this population is vulnerable to: rainfall failure; lack/shortage of pasture; market disruptions; devaluation of the Somali Shilling; clan conflicts/general insecurity; poor road infrastructure; crop failure in neighbouring zones. Coping mechanisms include livestock migration, increase of livestock sales, labour migration and reduction of household expenses. 17 The following section presents wealth characteristics, major sources of food and income and expenditure patterns per wealth group based on two separate reference years 1996-97 and 2004-05. These will be hereafter referred as the old and the new baseline/reference years respectively. The information based on the latter is relevant and useful for any decision-making on the current situation as it is the latest update on the existing livelihood characteristics. Together, the two sets of information can be used to make a comparative/trend analysis on how asset, food and income levels and sources and expenditure patterns changed over the period between 1996-97 and 2004-05. 1900 kcal/person/day was the basis for calculating food needs for the old baseline year while this was changed to 2100 kcal/person/day under the new reference year baseline following a change in the threshold for calculating food requirement by the Federal Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA). W ealth Characteristics 1996/97 Poor Middle Better-off Household 7 – 9 7 – 9 7 – 9 size Livestock holdings: Shoats 30 - 40 60 - 80 100 - 150 Cattle 0 - 6 0 - 20 0 – 40 Camels 5 - 10 20 - 30 45 - 55 Donkeys 1 1 1 – 2 Wealth is determined by livestock holdings, particularly camels and shoats. Livestock holdings are more or les s similar in the old and the new reference years but ran ges have widened in the latter. This could be attributed to the fact that the baseline update figures are based on data obtained from two districts (instead of five as in the old baseline) which increases the margin of error as the more recent data would be less representative of all the districts than the former. 2004/05 Poor Middle Better-off Mainly due to recurrent droughts, the population proportion of middle wealth group households fell Household 6 - 8 (7) 8 - 9 (8) 9 - 11 (10) from 50% in 1996/97 to 45% 2004/05, whilst there size was an increase in poor households of 5%. This Livestock holdings: highlights the fact that the situation has affected the Shoats 30 - 50 60 - 90 150 - 200 middle wealth group more than the better-off as Cattle 4 - 6 5 - 15 10 - 20 the population proportion of the latter has not Camels 4 - 6 25 - 35 45 - 70 changed significantly. Fik and Hamaro districts are Donkey s 0 1- 3 1 - 3 generally less affected by shocks than Sagag, Garbo and Duhun districts as they have better market access being situated along the main road from Babile to Gode districts. Food Sources Food needs are calculated on the basis of 1,900kcal per person per day for the 1996-97 baseline but 2,100 kcal for 2004-05. All households depend on staple cereal purchases (maize) for most of their food, meaning they are vulnerable to market disruptions and cereal price rises. However, better-off households are able to off-set this dependency by being able to afford more non-staple foods (sugar) and having higher milk production. Better-off and middle wealth group households obtain milk and ghee from their animals; poor households do not make ghee. 18 Better-off households sell most of the ghee they produce. The contribution of livestock products to annual food requirement has increased in the new reference year for all wealth groups. This leads to a decrease in overall food purchases, which are inversely related to wealth (i.e., higher in the poor and lower in the better- off wealth groups). As the poor can not cover much of its food requirement from livestock sources due to low asset levels, they have to purchase more food for their needs, thus a larger proportion of their income is spent on food purchases. Food aid was a food source for all wealth groups in the new reference year, with gifts also becoming an important source of food for the poor. S ources of Income Livestock sales, complemented by livestock product sales, are the main source of income for all wealth groups. Livestock products were not a source of income for the poor in the old baseline year but they are in the new one. In recent years rainfall has been significantly reduced and some better-off and middle households have migrated from the area. As a result the role of livestock products as a source of income has been reduced for both these groups. Most of the poor did not migrate and kept their milk-producing animals with them while the rest of their livestock herds h erds migrated with better-off relatives. Staying close to urban areas with a few manageable milk-producing a nimals meant that they were able to sell livestock products - particularly camel milk and ghee - better than other groups and better than in the past. As income from livestock and livestock products is not enough to finance food and non-food needs, poor households need to diversify their sources of income by collecting and s elling bush products (firewood, myrrh, poles, gums). Income levels in the new baseline year are slightly lower th an that of the old for the middle and better-off wealth groups due to reduced income from livestock p roduct sales. Expe nditure Patterns Poor households spend a relatively high proportion of their income on staple purchases (mainly maize). Their spending on social services consists mainly of Koran teaching for two children, and they do not have to pay clan taxes or kaalmo (charitable donations). Middle households spend proportionately more on restocking their livestock; better-off households have the most flexibility and spend more on ‘luxuries’ making them better able to cope with shocks. Comparison between the old and the new baseline years reveals slightly decreased expenditure on food for the middle and better-off. This is due to the increased contribution of livestock products to meet annual food needs. Expenditure on household items has increased for all groups under the new baseline year because of the increase in the cost of household items. Overall expenditure levels have declined due to fewer purchases in the new reference year compared with the old one. 19 Seasonal Calendar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Season Gu Hagaa Deyr Jilaal Hunger / stress periods Water levels / pasture condition Pasture observation (Sahan) Movement according to Sahan Livestock reproduction Milking period Livestock migration Livestock sales Cereal purchases Vulnerabilities, Risks and Responses Significant herd size reductions, caused by recent consecutive droughts, have prompted generally unsuccessful attempts at opportunistic farming amongst some groups; others diversified into agro-pastoralism, joined the urban poor or became destitute and displaced after losing all their livestock.