An estimated 57.2% of Namibians continue to experience moderate to severe food insecurity, with a huge portion lacking access to safe and nutritious food.
The findings are etched in the latest United Nations (UN) Agriculture and Food Organisation (FAO) Namibia Country Programming Framework handbook.
FAO’s country representative Patrice Talla Takoukam, during Monday’s launch of the FAO-Namibia Country Programme Framework handbook for 2025/29, indicated that more than half the country’s population struggles to access adequate food.
“Namibia’s Agriculture Orientation Index stands at just 0.26, a figure that tells us that public investment in the sector most critical to rural livelihoods and national food security has been declining for decades, from 0.54 in 2001 to where we stand today. In 2024, only 62.3% of women aged 15 to 49 met minimum dietary diversity standards. These are not statistics, they are human realities,” stated Takoukam.
Takoukam added that the latest statistics also show a worrying trend where nearly one in five Namibians are undernourished, while more than one in five children under the age of five are stunted.The 2025/29 FAO-Namibia Country Programme Framework handbook focuses on four interrelated priorities, which are strengthening policy, legal, strategic and institutional frameworks for agriculture, fisheries, forestry, food security and nutrition. It also strives to improve agricultural production, productivity, food safety and strengthened nutrition-sensitive value chains, including strengthening capacity for disaster risk reduction, resilience building and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Funding gaps
Takoukam also highlighted widening funding gaps within FAO’s programmes, which he said pose a serious threat to food security and access to safe and nutritious food not only to Namibians but globally.
The total resource requirement for the full implementation of the latest handbook is around N$256 million, of which N$64 million is currently available, leaving a funding gap of almost N$193 million, Takoukam shared.
“Good intentions and comprehensive frameworks are not enough; we must make the case for investment with rigour and demonstrated results. FAO Namibia will pursue this gap through bilateral and multilateral channels, climate finance instruments, South-South modalities and UN Joint Programmes under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.”
Meanwhile, agriculture minister Inge Zamwaani said although challenges persist in the food security sphere, Namibia continues to make great strides in alleviating extreme poverty and widening access to decent, safe and healthy food for all.
“We also acknowledge the vital support of Japan through the Drought Resilience Project, which is reaching 6 000 households across Erongo, Kunene, Omaheke, Otjozondjupa, and Hardap. By providing agro inputs, livestock support, and climate-smart training, this project is helping our communities adapt to climate change and build resilience in the face of recurring droughts,” said the minister.
According to the 2024 Global Hunger Index, Namibia recorded serious levels of hunger, ranking 86th out of 121 countries globally.
But the country has made significant progress in human capital development, especially since the introduction of the school feeding programme in 1990. The national school meals programme reaches more than 466 860 learners in over 2 000 schools in all 14 regions of the country.
The programme focuses on ensuring that learners and communities can meet their food and nutrition needs in times of crises, strengthening national social protection systems and national food systems.