Announcement of IDA Joins Arab and African Funds to Support Somalia’s Drought Rehabilitation on April 15, 1976

.\-< eWorldBank 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. • Telephone: (202) 393-6360 IDA NEWS RELEASE NO. 76/15 Apr i l 15, 19 76 IDA JOINS ARAB AND AFR!CAN FUNDS TO SUPPORT SOMALIA'S DROUGHT REHABILITATION Somalia's efforts to recover from the drought of 1973 and 1974, during which between a quarter and a third of the national livestock herd was lost and up to 270,000 nomads received in relief camps, will be supported by an $8 million credit by the World Bank affiliate, the Inter- national Development Association (IDA). • Additional finance of nearly $50 million for the Government's drought rehabilitation program will be provided by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Develop- ment and the African Development Fund (ADF). About 100,000 resettled nomads are expected to produce their basic food requirements as a result of the first emergency projects under the program. The Sahelian drought affected the entire central and northeaster.n parts of Somalia, involving a large part of the nomadic population of about two million. Large-scale loss of human life was averted by the Somali Government's emergency action in setting up relief camps and distributing food aid from foreign donors. However, the extensive loss of livestock, which before the drought amounted to about three million cattle, 14 m'lllion • Note: Money figures are expressed in U.S. dollar equivalents. I ...  ... 2 ... sheep and goats and 2.5 million camels, seriously impaired the livelihood and prospects of the nomadic pastoralists. Rains during 1975 relieved the drought, so that relief camps could • be disbanded. More than 100,000 people from the camps were relocated in three agricultural settlements on land between the Juba and Shebelli rivers in southern Somalia, and 14,000 settled in coastal fisheries; the remainder returning to their nomadic life. One of the main priorities of the Somali Government has been to settle the destitute nomads in the south while also developing the northern rangelands from which they were relocated. These lands have deteriorated as a result of recurrent drought and poorly distributed dnimal watering places. The program is now being accelerated by implementation of a major • nomad settlement scheme in the Juba-Shebelli area, to be financed by the 1/ Arab Fund ($22.4 million), IDA ($8 million)- and ADF ($5.5 million); and the Northern Rangelands Rehabilitation Project, to be financed by the Kuwait Fund ($21 million). In the settlement areas, bush wi 11 be cleared on 30,000 hectares of previously uncultivated land for interim food production, half under rainfed conditions (the IDA project) and half by irrigation (Arab Fund project). In the fourth year, the settlement areas are expected to produce about 12,500 tons of corn and sorghum, 5,000 tons of rice, 11,000 tons of vegetables and 4,000 tons of seed cotton. A hospital to be built on each of the three settlement areas will be financed by ADF. 1/ IDA's credit is for 50 years, including 10 years' grace and is interest- free, with a three-quarters of one percent charge for administrative • expenses. / ...  - 3 - • The Juba-Shebelli plain where the settlement scheme is located includes about five million hectares of cultivable land. The Government's initial emphasis in its development will be on land clearing and prepara- tion, crop production and the process of adapting t 1 e nomadic pastoral ists to settled agriculture. This can be achieved most effectively through a centralized and consolidated production system; but later the Government may consider other options. Because of the emergency nature of the scheme, considerable technical assistance will be provided to assess progress of the present projects and plan the scheme's future direction. IDA will assist in the monitoring and evaluation of both the rainfed and irrigated components of the scheme, while the Arab Fund will finance studies for further develop- • ment of the settlements and preparation of future projects in the area . The first project for development of the northern rangelands has been prepared by IDA, building on previous work by UNDP/FAO, and will be financed by the Kuwait Fund. It will be the first comprehensive program for their rehabilitation. About 140,000 sq.km., representing about a third of the country's total rangeland area, will be developed; and sales of livestock are expected to increase by about $30 million per year. The project aims to establish grazing and drought reserves, fodder production units, stock water facilities, expanded veterinary services, grazing associations and specialized educational programs to encourage soil conservation and better range-management. - 0 - • I ...  i. J~ Form No. 1121 (9-75) T E CHN I CAL DAT A PROJECT: COUNTRY: Drought Rehabilitation Program: Juba-Shebelli Area Somali a Emergency Settlement Scheme • 1/ TOTAL COST:- $ 1O• 8 mi 1 1 i on 1DA FINANCING: $8 million, standard IDA terms OTHER FINANCING: Government IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: National Rehabilitation Committee of the Supreme Revolutionary Council, operating through the Settlement Development Agency. (address: Economic Committee for the Supreme Revolutionary Council, People's House, Mogadishu, Somalia.) PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project will support the development of 15,000 hectares of start~up rainfed crop production within the three newly estab- lished settlements in the Juba-Shebelli area in the southern part of Somalia. It will form part of an emergency agricultural settlement program supported by IDA, the Arab • Fund for Economic and Social Development (Arab Fund), and the African Development Fund. The Arab Fund will provide support for the development of 15,000 hectares of irrigated cultivation and the African Development Fund assist in the establishment of three hospi- tals for settlement populations. The IDA-supported project will develop 9,000 hectares in Dujuma and 3,000 each in Sablale and Kurtum Warey Settlement over a three-year perioo and wi 11 include provision for: 25 crawler tractors for bush clearing on 15,000 hectares; 100 tractors with attachment to be used for ploughing and cultivation as well as for transport within the settlements; 8 four-wheel drive vehicles; 6 mobiie workshops and 3 office buildings; local staff; project monitoring, evaluation and preparation; and technical assistance. PROCUREMENT: Contracts for all items exceeding $50,000 by international competitive bidding (!CB). Orders will be bulked whenever possible. Total procurement under ICB will be valued at about $4.8 million excluding contingencies and will include: 25 crawlers with spare parts, 100 tractors with spare parts,100 tractors with spare parts, agricultural machinery, 50 trailers, 6 mobile work- shops, 8 four-wheel drive vehicles. CONSULTANTS: Four internationally recruited experts for a total of 12 man-years. ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: 1980 1/ Total cost, financing, procurement and consultants information apply only to IDA • component of the scheme. -0-