Status of Household Livelihoods in Somaliland

A livelihood expresses the idea of an individual or group striving to make a living. It is an integral part of any development agenda since it highlights the realities on the ground. Livelihoods of a good proportion of the world population are poor. It is worse in Africa where most people derive their livelihoods from single sources or hold their wealth in the form of just one asset. In Somaliland the livelihoods of most people depend on agro-pastoralism and subsistence agriculture. However the livelihood status of households in Somaliland had not been surveyed. This study assessed the livelihoods of 66 households in Shirwac village. The study found that asset income χ2 (6 N = 66) = 229.83 p = .000 land size χ2 (3 N = 66) = 45.77 p = .000 land utilization χ2 (4 N = 66) = 166.1 p = .000 and livestock assets χ2 (4 N = 66) = 66.6 p = .000 were significantly poor. Livelihood capabilities χ2 (4 N = 66) = 113.2 p = .000; and livelihood activities χ2 (5 N = 66) = 83.3 p = .000) were also poor and had significant effect on livelihoods of the households. The study concludes that livelihoods of households in Shirwac village were generally poor.