FAO GIEWS Country Brief on Somalia –

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT Uncertain production prospects for 2026 Gu main season crops due to erratic rains and pests Livestock severely affected by water and pasture shortages Prices of cereals at high levels due to reduced market supplies and high fuel prices High levels and prevalence of food insecurity mainly due to climatic shocks Uncertain production prospects for 2026 Gu main season crops due to erratic rains and pests The 2026 main Gu season crops, normally accounting for about 60 percent of the country's total annual cereal output, were harvested in July. The April‑June Gu rainy season was characterized by below‑average rainfall amounts and by an erratic temporal and spatial distribution. The resulting moisture deficits adversely affected crop germination and development, and caused widespread wilting and stunted growth. According to FAO’s Agricultural Stress Index (ASI) , between 25 and 70 percent of the cropland was affected by severe drought in mid‑June in Lower and Middle Shabelle regions, the main maize producing areas, as well as in the sorghum belt in Bay Region. Subsequently, improved late‑season Gu rains and adequate Xagaa rains in July supported a partial crop recovery in several southern cropping areas, and as a result overall crop performance was mixed. In addition, crop production was affected by attacks of Quelea quelea (QQU) birds. The off‑season harvest recently started in the riverine areas along the Juba and Shabelle rivers and is expected to conclude by end‑September. Cereal production prospects are overall favourable following the adequate Xagaa rains, despite residual soil moisture deficits fromthe poor Gu rains, low river levels and high costs of pump irrigation due to high fuel prices. Pending the release of production estimates by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU), prospects for the aggregate cereal output of the 2026 Gu and off‑season crops remain uncertain, as the adverse impact of poor Gu rains was partly offset b