Namibia: Namibia Faces Worsening Food Insecurity

Namibia will continue to face a challenge of food security in the next few months.

This is according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform’s Household food security situation report.

The report says crop prospects have weakened in most crop producing regions.

As a result, many households have been left with depleted stocks from their last season’s poor harvest.

The report also says most households are now dependent on the market and the Drought Relief Programme implemented by the government for food access.

“Most households interviewed during the post-harvest crop assessment exercise indicated that last season’s harvest, which is often supplemented with market purchases, depleted between September and November 2023,” the report says.

The report also says household food security situations in the southern, eastern and central parts of the country are poor because of the persistent dry conditions experienced during the last season.

“These are areas which primarily consist of both commercial and subsistence farmers who mainly rely on livestock farming for their livelihoods. The drought situation presents a significant risk on people’s livelihoods as rangelands in these parts of the country are in a bad state, and proves to be inadequate to sustain their livestock,” the report says.