Land, farming and livestock
Livestock vaccination in Somalia: PPR and CCPP
Two diseases kill the most sheep and goats in Somalia: peste des petits ruminants (PPR, 'goat plague') and contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP), a lung disease of goats. In 2012 the FAO targeted about 20 million sheep and goats, 60 percent of the national flock, for PPR vaccination at about USD 0.28 an animal. In early 2020 a national campaign vaccinated 14.5 million goats against CCPP, at about USD 0.40 a dose, against USD 40 to 50 to replace a dead goat.
Two diseases of sheep and goats
- Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease of sheep and goats, often called goat plague. It spreads fast through flocks.
- Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a bacterial lung disease of goats.
Sheep and goats are most of Somalia's herd and of its exports, so these diseases hit both herders and trade. See How many livestock does Somalia have?.
The 2012 PPR campaign
In 2012 the FAO ran a PPR vaccination campaign across the whole country, in five zones: Banadir, central, north-eastern, north-western and southern. About 20 million sheep and goats, some 60 percent of the estimated national small-ruminant population, were targeted (Pastoralism journal, 2018).
A blood study afterwards found that the share of animals with protection against PPR rose from 62 to 76 percent. The full cost of vaccinating was estimated at USD 0.28 per animal (same source). The FAO helped Somalia draw up a 15-year phased strategy to control and possibly eradicate PPR (same source). A joint FAO and OIE report noted that no new PPR outbreaks had been reported in Somalia since the campaigns began in 2012 (WOAH Africa, PPR advocacy paper).
The 2020 CCPP campaign
From late January to the end of April 2020, during COVID-19, floods and insecurity, 14.5 million goats were vaccinated against CCPP across Somalia, and 3.5 million animals were treated for parasites, infections and wounds in Banadir, Puntland and Somaliland (UN Somalia, 19 June 2020).
- Cost: a CCPP vaccine dose cost about USD 0.40, while replacing a goat that died of the disease cost USD 40 to 50.
- Where: areas included Bari (around Qardho), Togdheer, Middle Juba near the Lower Juba and Gedo borders, and Middle Shabelle.
- Who paid: the UK's DFID bought the 14.5 million doses and paid for work in the south and centre; USAID paid for Somaliland and Puntland; the EU's ECHO co-funded central Somalia; Germany paid for medicines and equipment.
All from the same UN Somalia report, which also says livestock makes up about 40 percent of GDP and involves up to 60 percent of the workforce.
Disease and trade
Gulf buyers have stopped Somali animals over disease before, most recently from 2016. Healthy, vaccinated animals are a condition for export. See Gulf bans on Somali livestock and Rinderpest in Somalia.
Sources
- Pastoralism journal, 2018 · pastoralismjournal.springeropen.com
- WOAH Africa, PPR advocacy paper · rr-africa.woah.org
- UN Somalia, 19 June 2020 · somalia.un.org
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Jowhar (Johar) and Middle ShabelleMiddle Shabelle is the farming region along the Shabelle river north of Mogadishu, with Jowhar as its capital and about 1 to 1.26 million people.
- Bu'aale (Buale) and Middle JubaMiddle Juba is a farming region on the Juba river in the south, with about 447,000 people.
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Pastoralism in Somalia: how herding worksSomali pastoralism in facts: how many people herd, what they earn, milk and meat, seasons and movement, herd splitting, risks from drought and disease, and the move to towns.
- How many livestock does Somalia have?Somalia's livestock in numbers: herd size by species, what the animals produce, how many die each year, exports, and why sources disagree.
- Camels in Somalia: the world's largest herdCamels in Somalia in facts: herd size, share of the world's camels, camel milk, exports to the Gulf, the 2016 to 2018 export fall at Berbera, and the first camel milk yoghurt factory.
- Blackheaded Somali sheep: the breed behind the livestock tradeThe Blackheaded Somali sheep: what it looks like, where it is kept, why it suits dry land, its role in exports through Berbera and Bosaso, and the breeds descended from it.
- Cattle in Somalia: Boran and the Somali breedsCattle in Somalia: numbers, where they are kept, the Boran breed and the Somali Boran, the large red cattle traded to Kenya, cattle exports and milk.
- The Somali goat: breed, milk and tradeThe Somali goat in facts: what it looks like, where it is kept, milk yield in drought, meat exports with sheep, and what DAD-IS records about the breed.