Remittances and vulnerability of Somali pastoralists

The Rift Valley Institute briefing paper “Remittances and vulnerability in Somalia” (2018, 6 pp), by Nisar Majid et al, casts light on the relationship between remittances and the relative vulnerability of different Somali communities, particularly to drought and food insecurity. It outlines the key features and marked variations in remittances to rural and urban households, and analyses how families use remittances to improve food security, particularly through access to credit.

It was found that rural-based families – and pastoralists in particular – are least likely to receive remittances regularly. When they do receive them, they use them primarily to improve their access to food (greater quantities and diversity). Whereas urban households that receive remittances regularly use these to improve their access to credit, pastoralist households use remittances as an insurance mechanism in times of stress.

People who are involved in humanitarian aid in Somalia or who seek to develop resilience or social-protection programmes would benefit from a deeper understanding of the relationship between remittances and the vulnerability of different types of communities – and of why pastoralist communities (pasticularly in southern Somalia) receive only irregular and low levels of remittances.

Posted on 14 February 2019 in News