Pastoralists in Somaliland’s Toghdeer region are feeding grain to their animals and exchanging weak animals for food due to extreme drought in parts of the region.
Ibrahim Ahmed Quulle, an elder in Hodeed village, water sources were dry and conditions were harsh. Some of their animals were so thin that they were unfit for sale. Instead, the weak animals were being bartered for grain to be used as fodder to keep the remaining livestock alive.
In the worst affected areas in Ununley, Ina-af-madobe, Beer-kirir, Sarar, Dhakol and Gatama, local people reported that they were feeding their livestock solely on grain.
While it is not unusual in the dry season to supplement poor pasture with some grain, it is a sign of extreme stress that in some areas animals are eating sorghum and maize alone.
Anab Yussuf, a female herder in Ina-af-madobe, told Radio Ergo she fed sorghum to her goats when they came back home in the evening after spending all day foraging without finding any pasture.
She said it was too expensive to continue feeding her goats with grain every day, and she was not sure what to do. “Sometimes, you lack money to buy food for them, and there is no pasture in the area, so we just have to keep them in the house,” she said.
This year’s dry season has been particularly hot and dry, compounded by previous seasons of inadequate rainfall.
Ibrahim Ahmed Quulle, the elder, noted that some animals were becoming sick from a sole diet of grain, which was not healthy for them.
He urged the Somaliland authorities and animal health organizations to come to their aid, with treatment and support for the animals their livelihoods depend on.
