Namibia PDNA 2009 - GFDRR

In response to the floods impact, the Comprehensive Food
Distribution Scheme is planned to be extended until the
next harvest season and the funding has ben is included in
the N$109 million Government’s budget to respond to the
floods.
WFP UN Response
Upon request of the Government of the Republic of
Namibia on providing technical assistance, WFP launched an
Emergency Preparedness Activity (IRA EPA 10842.0), aimed
at strengthening the Government’s capacity to implement the
Comprehensive Food Distribution Scheme. Technical assistance
has been provided in the affected areas in the form of on the
job learning and training on logistics and beneficiary targeting.
Authorities at the local, regional and central level have
received guidance on warehouse management, secondary
transportation of food commodities, commodity tracking, and
planning of food distributions. Government staff, warehouse
managers and community leaders in 18 constituencies in the
six affected Regions received direct guidance from WFP staff
deployed in the area.
Training on methods for beneficiary targeting was provided
to 103 staff at central, regional and local levels and also to
community leaders, with special attention on awareness rising
on beneficiaries’ profile.
Disaster Risk Management Issues
Risk reduction measures to lower the high vulnerability to
food insecurity and thus, reduce the impact of future hazards
on the households’ food security are can be classified under
three main lines:
Reducing crop losses
In order to reduce future losses of the mahangu stocks stored
in the traditional way in the grain basket, the Governmentinitiated
campaign to raise awareness on the need of
transforming the traditional storages into higher structures,
need to continue. Providing basic construction materials and
technical advice can support the household’s efforts.
A reduction in the losses of standing crops due to floods can
be promoted with a campaign promoting early planting for
the next harvest.
Supporting alternative livelihoods
While subsistence agriculture remain the mean livelihood in
the flooded area, the irregular rainfall and unsuitable arable
land, are structural problems that affect this livelihood. The
irregular climate patterns made the area subjective to drought
periods and heavy rains, what results in cumulative periods of
losses.
Crops are regularly affected by outbreaks of crop pets while
subsistence farmers have limited access to fertilizers. The
majority of the villages affected by the floods in the northern
central region (an estimated 80 percent) reported being
affected with armyworm, while in the majority of the subsistence
farmers in the Caprivi area reported being affected by the foot
and mouth disease. In the Caprivi area, the frequent attacks
from wildlife are also a threat to the crops.
While the Government subsidizes the fertilizer and seeds and
provides support for the ploughing, the measures do not seem
to be enough to improve the subsistence agriculture of poor
households. In addition, the loss of household members due
to HIV and AIDS is a threat to the agriculture as it causes a
reduction in the labour. Supporting alternative livelihoods 62 in
the area is required to reduce the impact of future disasters in
the household economy.
Lowering poverty levels
Due to the strong link of chronic poverty and chronic food
insecurity, measures to address the chronic poverty in the area
will likely have an impact in the rising the household’s reliance
to cope with food shortages caused by natural disasters.
Needs
Immediate Needs
While the Government of Namibia through Directorate
Emergency Management (DDRM) has the budgetary capacity
to address the food assistance needs, the implementation of
the food assistance is facing some challenges that need to be
urgently addressed in order to reach the population in need.
Key informants interviewed during the assessment reported
that the food distribution was not effected according to the
plans and that food rations were not received timely by the
population in need. Key informants indicated that the food
rations received did not match with the planned ration and that
in most cases only maize meal had been received. In addition,
reports indicate that the assistance has not been provided on
a monthly basis as planned, but on a one time basis.
The logistics chain in place to distribute food assistance is
experiencing bottle necks that are impeding the transportation
of food to the affected population. The following measures are
recommended to solve these bottle necks:
Secondary transport
• To facilitate the process for hiring private
transporters for the distribution of food;
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6 The topic is treated separately in the livelihoods analysis
included in the PDNA.
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