EU and AU-IBAR to boost animal health and livestock trade and marketing in Somalia through assistance to 250,000 Somali pastoral and agro-pastoral households, livestock traders and public and private sector institutions supporting animal health, livestock trade and marketing.
The European Commission (EC) and the African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) launch the Livestock Emergency Intervention to Mitigate the Food Crisis in Somalia (LEISOM) in a bid to reduce the negative effects of soaring food prices on Somali pastoralists and agro-pastoralists.
The project targets 250,000 households country-wide. Vulnerable pastoralists and agro-pastoralists are set to benefit from protection of their sheep and goat flocks through vaccination against major epidemic diseases affecting livestock trade and treatment for common diseases affecting productivity and resilience. Livestock marketing infrastructure will be rehabilitated and their management systems improved to enhance livestock trade and marketing with further economic benefits to the targeted households, Veterinary Authorities, livestock traders and other livestock industry operators who derive incomes and revenues from livestock exports.
Interventions will be coordinated by AU-IBAR in close partnership with the Somali Veterinary Authorities and four international NGOs working in the Somali livestock sector namely COOPI, Terra Nuova, VETAID and VSF-Germany.
This project is part of the European Union (EU) Food Facility which is a two year global initiative that provides an overall budget of 1 billion Euro for rapid response to soaring food prices in developing countries. The Food Facility aims to help target countries to move towards long-term food security.
The Contribution agreement contract between the EC and AU-IBAR was signed on 10th August 2009 and the first activities in Somalia will start in October 2009.
