Food import dependence in Somalia : causes, magnitude and policy options

This paper has three main objectives: (a) to examine in detail the trend in food import, its composition, and the degree of food import dependency in Somalia; (b) to analyze various micro- and macro-economic channels through which both foreign and as well imprudent domestic economic policies have resulted in Somalia's excessive reliance on imported food; and (c) to highlight main policy options that both Somali decisionmakers and her foreign donors should consider in order to arrest Somalia's accelerating trend in food import dependency.