1Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060, Kuwait
2Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Somali National University, Somalia
Journal of Food Security.
2026,
Vol. 14 No. 2, 46-52
DOI: 10.12691/jfs-14-2-2
Copyright © 2026 Science and Education PublishingCite this paper: Abdirashid Elmi, Abdisalaam Elmi. The Climate-Resource-Food Security Nexus: Analyzing the Cumulative Impact of Recurrent Disasters on Somali Communities’ Livelihood Sustainability.
Journal of Food Security. 2026; 14(2):46-52. doi: 10.12691/jfs-14-2-2.
Correspondence to: Abdirashid Elmi, Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060, Kuwait. Email:
a.elmi@ku.edu.kwAbstract
Somalia exemplifies the destructive synergy between climate, conflict, and resource shortages, which severely impede economic and social progress. This manuscript examines key weather events, trends, and humanitarian interventions. The temporal pattern of drought occurrence in Somalia has undergone a significantly alarming shift over recent decades. The recurrence interval has contracted from an historical average of once per decade to approximately two to four episodes per decade, progressively diminishing the adaptive capacity of agro-pastoral communities to withstand consecutive environmental shocks. Similarly, frequency and intensity of floods have increased, and due to increased population density in flood-prone areas and land degradation (deforestation, soil erosion), large number of people have become internally displaced. This paper concludes that recurrent disasters have ravaged the very foundations of Somali livelihoods, obliterating crops, inundating farmlands, and decimating livestock, which are essential for both sustenance and economic survival.
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