Neighbors in Burtinle District, Somalia, build an earthen dam to capture rains to combat drought. World Vision supports the community’s improvements with “cash for work” funds.

Despite a slight increase in cereal crop production in 2014 in East Africa, more than 1 million people in Somalia’s central and southern areas still need emergency food assistance, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says.

Aid agencies there expect the food security situation to improve by March 2015 for some. But they are wary of the impact late seasonal floods could have on struggling families near the Shabelle and Juba Rivers.

Ongoing armed conflict and political insecurity have hindered efforts to help hungry families become more resilient to food shortages. However, some communities ravaged by the 2012 drought continue to make progress toward having enough to eat during lean times.

Written by Chris Huber

Photo © 2014 John Kisimir /World Vision