In an effort to accelerate the journey towards zero hunger by 2030 and address food and nutrition security, the World Food Programme and the Environmental Investment Fund have joined hands to strengthen government’s capacity.
The WFP and EIF recently signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the management of programmes under the Sustainable Development Goals 2 (zero hunger), 13 (climate action) and 17 (partnerships).
Specifically, the WFP is mandated to ensure vulnerable populations in Namibia strengthen food systems since currently, most households’ diets are associated with high levels of nutrient deficiency.
This is evident in the high levels of stunting, at 24%, and wasting at 6%, among children 0-54 months.
In an effort to accelerate the journey towards zero hunger and the food and nutrition security agenda, the WFP has identified key entry points through three key strategic pillars of rural transformation, sustainable food systems, and human capital development as key focus areas and support to government.
WFP country director George Fedha said in addition to these pillars, cross-cutting areas of digital transformation, women and youth empowerment as well as job creation have also been prioritised.
EIF chief executive officer Benedict Libanda said to achieve the SDGs by 2030, it is paramount that industries as well as individuals harness their knowledge of materials and financial resources to ensure the safety and prosperity of the people and natural environments in Namibia.
“For this reason, the EIF is ready to partner with entities such as the WFP as a demonstration of our commitment in championing SDGs. We need to work together to find solutions that are sustainable and durable, and that recognise our interdependence as institutions,” he noted.
Another issue the parties cited is a lack of diversification in terms of food production. Local food production is dominated mainly by the production of staples such as maize, millet and sorghum, and very limited on other nutrient-dense crops.
The high dependence on food imports, where the country imports 60%-plus of its total needs, is another area of concern, given that on average in Namibia, 70%-plus of Namibians rely on market access for food.
Climate change impacts on food production. Both parties indicated that this is very evident for Namibia, where for the past 10-15 years, the country has continued to experience droughts and floods, which have led to a significant reduction in food production and in turn fuelled the dependence on food imports.
Moreover, limited access for smallholder farmers to markets, which has impacted a lot on the commercialisation process of smallholder farmers, makes them unable to compete on an equal footing with commercial farmers.
This, both parties feel, has disincentivised farmers, and in turn discouraged increased production
Smallholder farmers are more vulnerable to climate shocks, which vulnerability results from 100% dependence on rained agriculture.
This has been evident during times when the country has experienced droughts, where the average yield per hectare cultivated has significantly dropped for those in the communal agriculture sector, leading to a drop in local food production.
– anakale@nepc.com.na