National Livestock Policy.

The National Livestock Policy is a sectoral national policy of the Republic of Somaliland. It applies to the period 2006–2016. Its main objective is to provide guidelines, coordination and regulation of the livestock sector in order to increase its efficiency in terms of production and productivity to improve the livelihoods of livestock producers and of the Somaliland economy, through focused use of resources.For attaining this main goal, the Government of Somaliland will improve and maintain the indigenous stock, maximise their production capacity in meat, milk, hides and skins. To this end, the following measures are envisaged: (1) establishment of a functional animal production department within the Ministry of Livestock; (2) provision of legal and appropriate policy frameworks to support technical services delivery and breeding programs; (3) promotion of indigenous knowledge in breeding practice; (4) promotion of research on appropriate and applicable technologies in the pastoral production diversity; (5) engagement and retention of competent human resource for the various disciplines of livestock production; and (6) lobbying and allocation of funds for research in animal production.In addition, the Government will develop national standards and will adopt an enabling environment for the implementation of the national animal Health regulations and is committed to comply with the Guidelines and recommendations of the regional and international certification institutions. For this, the document provides for the following strategies: (1) establishment and maintenance of an early warning system to help prevent the spread of diseases from other countries; (2) dissemination of animal health information to trading partners and regional organizations; and (3) harnessing of resources (locally and internationally) for transformation of animal health and production departments to conform to international standards.The Policy further aims to establish a functional emergency preparedness system within the Ministry of Livestock which has the capability to successfully deal with animal diseases emergencies. The strategies that will be used for this are: (1) contingency planning and allocation of ready to use resources; (2) establishment of coordinated institutional framework to ensure participation of all stakeholders during emergencies; (3) development of a plan of action and mobilization of resources for implementation; (4) enforcement of laws to ensure containment of disease out breaks; (5) establishment of early warning systems, awareness raising and extension services; and (6) establishment of a Disease notification system and confirmation at national and international levels.The document also covers cross-cutting issues for a livestock-related policy, such as land and gender. For the former, it notes that the Policy of the Government is to ensure proper land ownership with better management and utilization for sustainable livestock production and productivity. The following measures are contemplated for this goal: (1) consultative and participatory mechanism to ensure land use and security of land tenure for livestock farmers in the rangeland areas; (2) community based management of natural resources among pastoralists; and (3) participatory and sustainable pastoral and agro-pastoral associations that recognise traditional customary land rights.With regard to gender-related issues, these measures will be promoted: (1) capacity building on gender mainstreaming in livestock pastoral communities; (2) labour saving technologies appropriate to livestock communities; and (3) women and youth empowerment in accessing resources for income generation and market information.Lastly, the document also covers the issue of livestock producers’ cooperatives/organizations and pastoral associations. It indicates that these are emerging grass-root organizations, which are important for development of the livestock industry. These organizations provide several services such as credit, extension, input supplies and marketing channels for livestock production. They will be encouraged to support increased production and productivity, processing, marketing and credit mobilization. The involvement of communities and their organizations is essential for successful implementation of the policy. However, adequate support to farmers’ organizations is crucial in order to ensure adoption of new technologies.The Government will be responsible for the implementation of the National Livestock Policy. The Ministry of Livestock will ensure effective coordination of livestock sector inputs by key players. In addition, the Government recognizes the essential role of the private sector comprising of financial institutions, Chamber of Commerce, livestock farmers, pastoralists, agro–pastoralists, traders, processors and other individuals and organizations that are motivated by profit to undertake investment in the livestock industry.