This week’s confirmation that an estimated 390 000 people faced acute food insecurity between January and March 2023 should be a major cause for concern for all Namibians.
Already food insecurity was exacerbated by key factors such as high food prices and localised adverse weather that induced severe shortfalls in cereal production in 2022.
This state of affairs was shared by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in its most recent crop prospects and quarterly global report on food security.
The UN defines a person as food insecure when they lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life.
The impact of food insecurity in Namibia is significant.
People who are food insecure are more likely to suffer from malnutrition, which can lead to some health problems, including stunted growth, impaired cognitive development, and increased susceptibility to disease. Food insecurity can also harm people’s education and employment opportunities.
According to the 2022 Global Hunger Index, Namibia suffers from a serious level of hunger, ranking 78th out of 116 countries.
“The country imports up to 80% of its food, as not all goods can be sourced locally. Malnutrition is a growing concern, with 24% of children under the age of five stunted (reduced growth relative to age), 6% experiencing wasting (weighing too little for their height) and 13% underweight,” said the World Food Programme.
The impact of the current global and national food-price crisis on food security is heightened by low production of food and livestock in communal areas, mainly due to limited access to modern farming technologies and practices; poor soil fertility; overgrazing; prolonged dry spells; limited access to markets; and land-use practices.
The impact of climate change, coupled with Covid-19, has increased the scale of deprivation, food insecurity and malnutrition among vulnerable rural and urban communities.
It is without a doubt that Namibia is prone to drought. A six-year drought was interrupted by one year of good rains (2022) but a serious drought, which leads to crop failures and livestock losses and has a devastating impact on food security, has this year returned to most areas.
With 43.3% of the Namibian population being multi-dimensionally poor with the largest concentration in rural areas, it is difficult for people to afford food, even when it is available.
The Namibian economy remains one of the most skewed in the world in respect of distribution of wealth. According to the World Bank Wealth Inequality Index, Namibia ranks number two on the top 10 list, second to South Africa since 2015 as one of the countries with the highest wealth inequality in the world, with a Gini coefficient of 59.1%.
This inequality can make it difficult for the poorest people to access food, even when it is available.
While Namibia has not been affected by conflict in recent years, conflict in neighbouring countries, like the July 2021 unrest in South Africa, sparked by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court, showed how vulnerable we are as we import the majority of everything we need from that country.
However, food insecurity can be addressed.
By taking action to improve agricultural productivity, promote food security policies, and enhance social safety nets, the government and other stakeholders can help reduce food insecurity and improve the lives of all Namibians.
The government has invested in agricultural research and development and extension services to improve crop yields and livestock productivity. The government is also implementing a wide array of social safety net programmes to assist vulnerable households.
Earlier this year, the government turned the Food Bank Programme into a conditional basic income grant. A monthly cash transfer of N$600 per household is made monthly for the more than 8 000 food bank beneficiaries. This is a positive move but this programme needs rapid expansion to make a difference especially in urban households.