The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) want rural communities to adopt new farming techniques to improve food security.

The UN agencies are hosting a two-week trainers' session for agriculture scientists who will conduct farmer field schools, meant to empower rural communities.

Twenty-five agriculture technicians from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform gathered at Rundu to attend the training program.

UNDP Resident Representative Alka Bhatia says rural communities' food systems are the most affected by economic shocks and climate change.

"We have a responsibility, all of us here as government, as development partners, and as a society, more importantly, to ensure that no one is left behind. We must reach the poorest and most vulnerable, and therefore, basically, it is to ensure that our communities are food secure."

Bhatia says the Ukraine-Russia geopolitical war has especially affected the poor, as it has caused food insecurities; hence, there is a need to employ solutions that work elsewhere, here.

She believes new and resilient farming methods could improve food production and nutrition in rural communities.

"So, we need a food-secure community that is also resilient and is able to cope with or bounce back after experiencing any kind of economic or climate-related shocks."

The extension workers were selected from the Zambezi, Kavango East and West, Karas, Hardap, and Erongo regions.

They are expected to conduct farmers' field schools and advise farmers on establishing credit cooperatives and savings groups to cushion themselves from disaster-induced economic shocks.

The training of trainers program is co-funded by the UN Sustainable Development Goals Fund and the Japanese government.