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Introduction and background of crisis
As a criterion of the Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations (UN), “halving poverty” necessitates advancement of the other goals. However, chronic hunger remains a persistent development challenge faced by Somalia. As of 2011, some 16 percent of all Somalian children below the age of five are acutely malnourished and 4 percent are severely malnourished. This means that some 241,000 children are acutely malnourished and 57,000 are severely malnourished. Somalia ranks within the top 20 countries in the world with the highest child malnutrition rates.

32% of children under 5 years of age are moderately or severely underweight, while 13% of children below 5 suffer from moderate to severe wasting. In 2009, Somalia was ranked 7th in the world for mortality rates of children under 5.

Geography and climate
Somalia’s sub-Saharan African geography determines its predominantly desert climate, with only 1.67% of arable land. It is prone to recurring droughts, dust storms and floods during the rainy season.

In 2011, Somalia was adversely affected by a drought caused by the environmental phenomenon of La Niña, causing widespread famine in the country. At its peak, the United Nations (UN) warned that 750,000 Somalians could risk starving to death.

Government and War
Lack of good governance and corruption was one of the key reasons for the food crisis. There has been ongoing civil and political conflict in Somalia since 2005, imparing food production and food security in the country. Somalia lacks a central government, with the chief struggle ongoing between al-Shabaab, an ally of the millitant group al-Qaeda, and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) backed by the U.S., resultantly misdirecting resources away from tackling the food crisis. This led to cautiousness and a reduction in the amount donated by international bodies, causing a shortfall of $800 million out of the estimated $1 billion needed to aid Somalia with humanitarian needs. Hence, even though other countries in the East African region were facing similar adverse environmental circumstances, the resultant food crisis in Somalia was far more acute.

International aid and politics
The impending acute food shortage of the 2011 famine was anticipated in advance, however the shortage of stockpiles caused the consequences of the drought to worsen. Inadequate funding and political reasons were two of the factors contributing to the delay in stockpiling. During the famine, the amount of aid needed was an estimated $2.4 billion, but only $1 billion was raised by the international community. . Secondly, al-Shabaab refused to grant access to Western humanitarian organizations, instead demanding a fee be paid before access was allowed. However, the U.S government viewed paying the fee as “ illegal contributions to a terrorist organization”, leading to further delays in providing aid.