In a bid to avert the devastating effects of the critical drought situation in Namibia, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), with financial support from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), has availed N$10 million to assist 3250 drought-stricken farming households in seven drought-affected regions of Namibia.

With this support and working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR), the Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU), and the Namibia Commercial Farmers Union (NECFU); FAO and its partners aims to avail supplementary livestock feed through the installation of hydroponic fodder production systems as well as veterinary inputs to restore and sustain the livelihoods of targeted beneficiaries. According to MAWLR, over 59 000 livestock have died due to the ongoing drought situation in Namibia, disrupting the livelihoods of those dependent on livestock and related farming enterprises.

Speaking at the launch of the project held in Okahandja, FAO Namibia Representative, Ms. Farayi Zimudzi, highlighted that the project seeks to benefit 3250 households, which equates to approximately 14 300 people, that have been hardest hit by recurrent droughts which worsened over the 2018/2019 farming seasons.

Ms. Zimudzi explained that the project titled: “Emergency livelihood support to drought-affected communities in Namibia” was formulated in late December 2019, targeting five regions namely: Ohangwena, Omusati, Hardap, Kunene, and Omaheke. However, that number increased to seven regions after !Kharas and Erongo regions were added as they were experiencing an equally severe grazing and food security situation. All the aforementioned regions have seen a drastic reduction in yields and a mass death of livestock, negatively affecting the livelihoods of thousands of inhabitants.

“The project focuses on providing life-saving support for livestock owned by the project beneficiaries – aiming to provide feed produced from the non-mechanised hydroponic fodder production systems, and provide essential veterinary support to the same targeted households. He project will also make a deliberate effort to reach women-headed households, people living with disabilities, and the youth,” said Ms. Zimudzi.

According to her, the support will be provided over a period of six-months, specifically between the months of January until June 2020 respectively. This crucial assistance comes on the heels of a N$9 million project funding availed by FAO in 2019 to provide hay, multi-nutrient blocks and the rehabilitation of boreholes and traditional wells in the Omusati, Kunene, Erongo and Omaheke regions. The FAO country representative went on further to call on for more initiatives to be created in order to assist farmers to adapt their farming practices to the ever changing climate.

“Climate change is taking a toll on agriculture in the country – especially smallholder agriculture that is heavily dependent on rainfall. In light of this, there is a need to step up resilience building measures to buttress farmers shock-absorbing capacity through a whole suit of measures: be they improved water harvesting, in-field water harvesting techniques to improve soil moisture retention, use of drought-tolerant crop varieties, fodder production, to name a few,” she suggested.

In the same vein, the Executive Director of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Percy Msika, appealed to development partners to come on board and play a vital role in the rescue of Namibian farmers through impactful projects such as those seeking to provide the latest farming techniques and resources required to avert the effects of climate change and drought.