A number of people in Namibia are expected to experience food insecurity. The Kavango East Region alone fears for the livelihoods of about 15 000 households.
The Executive Director in the Office of the Prime Minister, I-Ben Nashandi says urgent attention is required to reduce food gaps and protect livelihoods. Experts say Namibia's deteriorating food security is driven, among others, by climatic shocks like dry spells and erratic rainfall impacting crop and livestock production. The Drought Relief Programme in the Office of the Prime Minister will assist affected communities with water, food, and incentives for farmers.
The idea is to prevent people from dying because of a drought.
"Target people in rural areas whose livelihood is dependent on the harvest and whose income is also below a certain threshold and who are also not supported because we are trying to avoid double dipping. These people should primarily be dependent on livelihoods, and had there been no drought, they would not be in this situation. We need to differentiate between hardships as a result of drought and other hardships like poverty or unemployment."
Nashandi says N$100 million is set aside to assist those struggling with water provision countrywide as a result of the drought.
"Where we find communities without water, where there are no water sources, we will mobilise water tankers and even put up water tanks so that these communities have access to clean, potable water and also invest in lasting solutions to put up boreholes."
Support for drought-stricken farmers is another benefit, and they are encouraged to make full use of it.
"This support is not aimed at saving your whole herd; it won't be practical. Even if you are a commercial farmer, it will drain you. We have a marketing incentive, and we want the farmers to start reducing their stock levels to manageable levels through the marketing incentive. This means that for each animal you are going to sell, the government is going to give you an additional subsidy as an incentive."
Between December 2022 and May 2023, over 500 cases of malnutrition were reported in Kavango East, with the most affected groups being the elderly, unemployed youth, and pregnant women.
The Office of the Prime Minister was presenting the 2023–2024 Namibia vulnerability assessment and analysis.