Researching food, power and aid practices in Somalia

Food is central to power. Food has influenced power relations through land grabs and the manipulation of food aid as part of a system of political patronage, through looting, displacement and diversion of aid by soldiers, warlords and militia. It has played a role in how countries are governed and who benefits from famine and relief. At the same time, in famine or protracted crises, certain groups may be marginalised, discriminated against and exploited, for example the agro-pastoral populations in Bay and Bakool regions and the riverine farmers along the Juba and Shebelle rivers. These groups have shown persistently high levels of acute malnutrition and suffered the most severe famines, including in 1992 and 2011.1 This article draws on a forthcoming CRP report on ‘Food and power in Somalia’ by Susanne Jaspars, Guhad Adan and Nisar Majid.