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THE ROLE OF ANIMALS IN HUMAN NUTRITION: Recent studies of the Sahrawi
population have suggested that the chronic emergency status in the camps, reflected in a food basket
based mainly on calories than on a diversification of diet, is struggling to counter widespread
nutritional problems. The camps were intended to be temporary by the refugees and international
agencies alike, so mechanisms to produce higher quality food systems were not established. One of
the main problems present in the camps today is the increasing prevalence of anaemia in
women of childbearing age. UNHCR is leading interventions to reduce numbers of children with
severe acute malnutrition, and the World Food Programme (WFP) is working to improve prevention
and treatment of anaemia, and to reduce stunting and moderate acute malnutrition among children
under five years of age and pregnant and nursing women. With anaemia rates in the camps as high
as 39% among children and 45% among women of
reproductive age, these are pressing challenges, not
helped by insecure funding which can lead to
diminished rations and inadequate supplies of
interventions such as High Energy Biscuits.3
Furthermore, the results of UNHCR’s March 2018
assessment, which found there to be a population of
over 170,000 – far higher than the 90,000 given in
official statistics – also suggests that the population has
been long underserved. Despite the Sahrawis’ overall
dependence on food aid, their livestock has for
centuries enabled their survival in the Western Sahara
and continues to be a hallmark of their cultural identity.
Animal breeding by refugees increases the availability
of animal proteins and can help address the nutritional
problems of the camps. About 80,000 goats and sheep
and 80,000 camels are present in the camps. Goats and
sheep are fed almost exclusively with domestic organic
waste, while camels spend part of their life in
pasturelands close to the refugee camps. A lack of
suitable pasture means there are limited opportunities to raise large numbers of camels for sale, so
the importance of livestock (camels, but also goats and sheep) in refugee camps lies predominantly
in its potential contribution to increase opportunities for self-sufficiency. Attempts to establish
projects for improved animal feeding to support livestock production (which is currently
insufficient) and livestock-derived diets in the camps should require little or low technology, and
refugees can take the skills they learn with them if they leave the camps. The creation of plantations
of the tree Moringa oleifera is one such project. More high-tech projects such as hydroponics may
provide a provisional increase in food production but they require higher levels of investment and
non-sustainable energy sources from outside the camps. These systems are not easily transportable,
are susceptible to deterioration and need maintenance which is difficult in the local context since
the systems are not part of local culture. The Sahrawi refugees are renowned for their resilience,
religious tolerance and organizational skills, and the refugee population is far from passive. Several

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