Camel Milk Rapid Value Chain Analysis
The Somalia Camel Leasing Activity is a research study used to understand the practice of camel leasing and its potential impact.
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The Feed the Future Somalia Camel Leasing to Impact Resilience Activity (Somalia Camel Leasing Activity) is a 26-month activity, spanning from June 2019 through August 2021, implemented by RTI International and designed to assess the impacts of camel leasing on the resilience and resilience capacities of pastoralist households and communities and the dairy industry in Somalia. Camel leasing is a formal arrangement between camel milk dairies and camel herding pastoralists. Dairies lease lactating camels from pastoralists for a specified period of time and with a clear expectation of compensation. During the period of the lease, dairies cover the management costs for leased animals (i.e., feed, water and veterinary services) and pastoralists receive a monthly payment (cash or in kind) for their camel. Camel leasing differs from the less formal practice of camel lending among family, friends and clan members. Camel lending has been occurring in Somalia for generations.
The practice of camel leasing gained prominence during the severe drought of 2016 and 2017. During this drought period, camel leasing was piloted as a resilience initiative through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)/Somalia Growth, Enterprise, Employment and Livelihoods (GEEL) project. The pilot effort highlighted camel leasing’s potential as a private sector-led resilience effort that could benefit dairies and pastoralists.
