Policy Brief by SIPRI, November 2024.
In Somalia, climate change disproportionately disrupts agricultural and pastoral livelihoods, driving harmful practices, such as resource overexploitation, which exacerbate conflicts.
Rising temperatures, erratic precipitation patterns, and more frequent and severe extreme weather events such as droughts and floods are placing increasing pressure on agriculture. In Somalia, climate stressors are compromising agriculture and pastoralism, on which most livelihoods depend, leading to reduced crop yields, livestock losses and, ultimately, social and economic disruptions. Many individuals are forced to adopt negative coping strategies such as migrating, overexploiting natural resources and joining nonstate armed groups. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Somalia identifies environmental degradation exacerbated by climate change as a driver of conflict between clans and livelihood groups.
In recently recovered areas of the Federal Member State of Hirshabelle, the IOM promotes regenerative agriculture as a means of replacing negative coping strategies with sustainable practices. Community led initiatives are designed to strengthen local capacity to adapt to changing climatic conditions and equip communities with the skills needed to build long term resilience against climate change. They also seek to prevent the resurgence of extremist groups such as al-Shabaab. These efforts are part of a broader environmental peacebuilding programme addressing the intersection between climate change and conflict in Somalia.
This SIPRI Policy Brief explores the IOM’s approach to regenerative agriculture as a tool for environmental peacebuilding in south-central Somalia. It focuses on analysing how the approach has been designed and highlights elements of the approach that can build resilient livelihoods, encourage cooperation over natural resources and strengthen social cohesion.
The policy brief also offers recommendations for donors and implementing organizations to effectively leverage regenerative agriculture for environmental peacebuilding efforts:
- Support long-term learning through monitoring and evaluation of environmental and peacebuilding indicators.
- Invest in research to better understand how regenerative agriculture can support women.
- Design environmental peacebuilding approaches that invest in local knowledge institutions.
These are extracts from a policy brief by Ann-Sophie Böhle and Kheira Tarif. It explores regenerative agriculture as a peace building tool in south-central Somalia and provides recommendations for donors and implementing organisations. The full paper can be accessed through the link here.