A delegation comprising Japanese Ambassador Hisao Nishimaki, UN Resident Coordinator Hopolang Phororo, and UNICEF Country Representative Sam Ocran visited the Rundu Intermediary Hospital in the Kavango East Region recently.
 
The visit was part of an impact assessment of Japanese assistance to the Kavango East health sector.
 
The Kavango East Region's population of close to 220,000 is served by 31 health facilities, 28 health centres and clinics, two district hospitals, and the Rundu Intermediate Referral Hospital. 

There is a need to manage and improve the availability, quality, and accessibility of data and statistics pertaining to agriculture and rural populations.

It's against this background that the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Namibia Statistic Agency are hosting a one-day Assessment Findings Workshop on the Development of the Strategic Plan for Agriculture and Rural Statistics in Namibia. 

The agriculture sector remains paramount in developing countries as it plays a critical role in food and nutrition security, employment creation, and increasing income.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform has embarked on the revision of four pieces of legislation, that deal with the management of animal feed, plant quarantine, fertilizers, and pesticides.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation is advising the ministry to ensure that the regulations conform to international standards.

FAO Assistant Representative Ferdinand Mwapopi says Namibia, as a net exporter of especially of beef, cannot afford to lag behind in terms of food safety standards.

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.