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For the past decade, Namibia faced a prolonged drought, which has been exacerbated by the El Niño effect in 2024.
The ongoing drought significantly impacted productivity, availability and access to food, leading to an increase in food insecurity and deterioration of livelihoods for vulnerable populations. Over the past 18 months, rainfall across Namibia has been minimal, with most of the country experiencing below-normal rains. This impacted crop and livestock production, causing price shocks, economic decline and unemployment.
On 22 May 2024, the President of Namibia declared a national state of emergency due to the worst drought the country had experienced in 100 years. Although food distribution is ongoing across the country, additional resources are still needed to reach all those affected, as the number of food-insecure households continues to increase.
Furthermore, estimates indicated a lack of adequate pasture and water shortage, which adversely affect livestock production; animals in the western and eastern parts of the country are in only fair to poor condition.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, published on 6 September 2024, approximately 1.15 million people in Namibia - nearly 40 per cent of the population - faced severe food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or higher) between July and September 2024. This was in all 14 regions and represented an increase of approximately 800,000 people at a level of food crisis since December 2022. The situation was expected to deteriorate from October 2024 to March 2025 as well, with the onset of the lean season and rising seasonal prices. Projections indicated that between April and June 2025, 776,000 people (25 per cent of the population) were projected to be in crisis. This was a slight decrease from the 1.26 million people that were projected to be in IPC 3 or higher. The hardest-hit regions include Khomas, Otjozondjupa, Omusati, Ohangwena, Kunene, Kavango West and Kavango East.
Namibia’s deteriorating food security is mainly driven by dry spells and erratic rainfall. Water availability for crop production, livestock and domestic use is at the lowest level due to these climate shocks. Many households are dependent on crop and livestock farming, which relies heavily on seasonal rains. Consecutive years of low productivity are leading to a high market price for food commodities too. Moreover, unemployment is persistently high, at about 34 per cent, with many households left without a stable source of income. All of this is resulting in a deterioration of the food security situation for impoverished households, which in some cases can also lead to malnutrition.
Malnutrition is a growing concern, with 24 per cent of children under 5 stunted (reduced growth relative to age), 6 per cent experiencing wasting (weighing too little for their height) and 13 per cent underweight. Within the period under review, there have been 1,101 deaths due to malnutrition in all 14 regions.1 On markets, prices for staple crops like maize and millet continued to rise, further aggravated by weak purchasing power. This will only be reversed in the second half of 2025, if positive production resumes. Until then, continued support through the provision of humanitarian assistance and social safety nets will be life-saving/ life-sustaining for many households.
The Government of the Republic of Namibia approved a national drought relief programme for the 2024/2025 fiscal year to cover all 14 regions of the country with food assistance for 362,663 households. This programme comprised of (1) food assistance per household per month, (2) seed and horticulture provision at agricultural development centers, (3) livestock support programme with livestock marketing incentives, subsidies for transport to and from grazing areas, subsidies for lease of grazing, subsidies for purchase of animal feed, sale of subsidized animal feed to farmers, (4) provision of water including rehabilitation and installation of boreholes, extension of water pipelines and excavation of canals/earth dams for water harvesting and water tanker service