Drought affects 57% of rural population Approximately 729 000 people in the rural areas of Namibia have been affected by this year’s drought, representing 57% of the country’s rural population. According to the agriculture ministry, 596 000 people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
This was announced by Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry during the official commemorations of World Food Day that was held in Kunene Region on Monday.
Kunene Regional Council chairperson Julius Kaujova delivered agriculture minister John Mutorwa’s speech on his behalf.
“Our country has suffered and continues to experience recurrent droughts. These occurrences are a very serious phenomenon which is threatening food security across the country. The current drought has affected almost each and every region in the country and Kunene region is not an exception. In fact, this is one of the most drought stricken regions in the country,” said Mutorwa.
According to him, in Kunene Region, 33 120 people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
He said this figure represents the urgent need for the country to device appropriate strategies which could enhance resilience and ensure that agricultural activities are not heavily hampered by drought.
Mutorwa said, due to the prevailing drought conditions, Namibia is unable to produce sufficient food and this poses a challenge especially on government to avail sufficient funds for humanitarian assistance and ensure that the lives of people are not threatened by drought.
He stressed that agriculture is the backbone of the country and plays a crucial role in addressing food insecurity.
According to him growing food in a sustainable way means adopting practices that produce more with less in the same area of land and using natural resources wisely.
He said it also means reducing food losses before the final product or retail stage through a number of initiatives including better harvesting, storage, packing, transport, infrastructure, market mechanisms, as well as institutional and legal frameworks.
“By adopting sustainable agricultural practices tailored to local contexts, our farmers especially the smallholders can make considerable productivity and income gains, while increasing the resilience of their agricultural activities and income to extreme and variable weather conditions.”
He added that adaptation strategies such as these are vital to combating poverty and hunger in a changing climate.
According to Mutorwa, the government through the ministry is pursuing initiatives, programmes and projects that are aimed at building resilience among our farmers who are mostly affected by drought.
ELLANIE SMIT