For pastoral and agro-pastoral families in Somalia, livestock provide food, nutrition, income, and a pathway to recovery during challenging times. When drought strikes, the loss of livestock for many households often means the loss of a family’s only source of livelihood. As prolonged drought continues to grip parts of Somalia, grazing lands have dried, and water sources have become increasingly scarce. Across affected communities, livestock have weakened due to a lack of feed and water, leaving vulnerable households at risk of losing the few animals they have managed to keep alive. For many families, replacing lost animals is nearly impossible, making the protection of remaining livestock a critical priority.

Among those affected is Abdi Raage Salaad, a 75-year-old father of ten. Like many pastoralists, Abdi has watched the drought steadily erode the livelihood he spent years building. “We have already lost many of our animals,” he explains. “The few that remain are very weak. Without feeds and water, we feared they would not survive.” With grazing areas depleted, households have increasingly relied on purchasing animal feeds to sustain their livestock. However, the rising cost of feeds has placed it beyond the reach of many vulnerable families.

Abdi feeds his goats with the emergency livestock feed. The support is helping vulnerable pastoral households protect their remaining livestock as they navigate the impacts of prolonged drought.

Recognizing the urgent need to protect livelihoods and prevent further livestock losses, Nomadic Assistance for Peace and Development (NAPAD), in partnership with Trocaire, provided emergency livestock feed to vulnerable households in Cusbo Village, Luuq District, and Laanbuley Village, Dolow District. Through the intervention, 80 drought-affected pastoral households received emergency livestock feed support. Each household was provided with six sacks (25 kg each) of wheat bran and one sack (50 kg) of sorghum. This was designed to help sustain weakened livestock, protect household assets, and strengthen families’ ability to cope with the ongoing effects of drought.

The benefits of the intervention extended beyond livestock survival. By helping animals regain strength, families have been able to preserve an essential source of nutrition and income during a period of extreme hardship. Healthier livestock means improved access to milk for children and greater confidence that households could continue relying on their animals until conditions improve.

“Our children can now drink enough milk again,” Abdi says. “It may seem small to many, but for us, it means everything.”

By protecting the remaining livestock, the intervention safeguarded critical livelihood assets and reduced the risk of further losses among families already struggling with the prolonged impacts of climate change.