Special Report Beled-Xaawo, Somalia - Urban Food Security Assessment

Urban food security monitoring in Somalia began in 2008. While food security monitoring in rural areas was widespread, conflict and violence in much of the southern and central regions of Somalia, combined with the global food price crisis and high fuel prices highlighted an information gap and severe monitoring constraints for urban food security monitoring. To explore ways of improving urban food security monitoring, FEWS NET Somalia and partners conducted an urban food security survey in Beled-Xaawo in April 2014.

The purpose of the survey was to verify assumptions regarding the importance of several key indicators for urban food security monitoring, including, but not limited to, the importance of key expenditure items, particularly sorghum and water, and the most significant income sources. The lessons learned should inform strategies to address deficiencies in recent urban food security monitoring. Other objectives of the study included improving understanding the nutritional status of children and household characteristics correlated with acute food insecurity.