Namibia PDNA 2009 - GFDRR

soil fertility and low water retention capacity. Timing, amount
and intensity of rainfall are critical determinants to output. Input
use (fertilizer, improved seeds, agro-chemicals) is generally low.
The MAWF reports that there are 121,141 farming households
in the north central regions, supporting an average of seven to
eight people per household. Most farm plots range from two to
five hectares. Mahangu, or pearl millet, accounts for approximately
95 percent of crops planted in the region, with sorghum making
up the other five percent. In the north-east regions, maize is by
far the most important crop. There are only two major irrigation
schemes in the north -entral regions, the MWAF-owned Etunda
Irrigation Scheme near Ruacana in Omusati and a privately-owned
irrigation scheme near Tsumeb. The Etunda Irrigation Scheme
totals just over 2,000 ha and produces mostly maize, followed by
wheat. There are six formal irrigation schemes in the north-east
regions, five of which are located in the Kavango Region. These
five schemes have been developed by the Government in an
effort to attract private investment in irrigation development, in
accordance with its Green Scheme policy. Private sector service
providers are expected to provide irrigation and marketing
services to small-scale farmers that have been settled within
the schemes. In addition to formal irrigation, many farmers, living
in close proximity to the regions’ many waterways, practice a
variety of traditional irrigation methods, including small pumps,
buckets and a variety of in-situ water management practices. As
subsistence farmers generally have no access to irrigation, the
planting calendar in the north-central and north-east regions is
dependent on the weather patterns. Crop planting in the north
central and northeast regions commences with the beginning of
the rainy season, generally between November and December.
On average, growth in food production increased very
modestly, with important variation in all the six regions. While
Oshana, Kavango and Caprivi had the least annual variations
in food production, the other three regions had important
annual variations that deserve in-depth analysis. Overall,
Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshikoto Regions had the highest
contribution to the national food production with 24, 22 and
21 percent respectively. Much of this growth has been achieved
through area expansion, and yields have remained nearly steady
over the past ten years. Except for the period of 2004–2006
when yields ranged between 2.4 and 3 tons per ha, in the rest
of the period they remained between 1 and 1.6 tons per ha,
for an average of 1.9 tons per ha in the period. On the other
hand, cultivated area has on average remained the same over
the past ten years. Horticulture production, including onions,
tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, watermelons, and sweet melons,
has increased since 2002 in an effort to reduce imports of
these products from South Africa. Table 53, below, presents
the historical aggregate coarse grain production for the floodaffected
Regions as well as the national totals.
Region/
Sector
1998-
1999
Table 53: Namibia: Total cereal production history (‘000 tons)
1999-
2000
2000-
2001
2001-
2002
2002-
2003
2003-
2004
2004-
2005
2005-
2006
2006-
2007
2007-
2008
2008-
2009
Caprivi 9.0 16.1 11.3 8.4 8.7 9.7 9.0 12.6 8.2 9.0 9.1
Kavango 6.9 11.7 6.4 3.2 8.9 9.5 9.2 9.8 4.1 4.8 4.5
Omusati 21.7 12.4 35.1 17.0 14.0 22.6 21.3 28.0 13.8 8.9 11.1
Ohangwena 22.3 14.8 17.6 10.5 11.3 26.5 18.7 38.2 13.6 10.4 9.1
Oshana 11.6 13.9 17.9 6.5 7.7 9.6 8.3 12.9 5.7 5.4 6.1
Oshikoto 36.1 18.4 17.0 8.8 11.1 23.1 20.5 25.1 10.1 8.9 11.0
Commercial 13.8 14.9 41.1 29.7 33.6 36.5 66.9 52.4 60.9 58.2 61.4.
Namibia 121.5 102.2 146.5 84 95.2 137.5 154.4 179 116.4 105.7 111.1
Source: Crop Prospects and Food Security Situation Report, March 2009 (Namibia Early Warning and Food Information Unit)
In addition to subsistence crop production, small private and
communal fish ponds are found throughout the north-central
regions. The Government, in conjunction with the Spanish
Cooperation, has developed the Inland Aquaculture Centre
(IAC), located near Outapi in Omusati. The IAC provides training
to interested farmers and communities who wish to develop a
fish pond. Fingerlings are provided at subsidized prices and the
IAC makes follow up visits to ensure that the ponds are being
maintained. The fish produced from these ponds are generally
consumed on-site or sold in very small quantities.
The food security situation was a challenge prior to the
2009 flooding due to the flooding in the north-central and
north-eastern Regions in 2008, combined with infestations
of armyworm. The World Food Programme published an
assessment of food security in June 2008 that revealed that 33
percent of households in Caprivi and 16 percent of households
in the north-central regions were food insecure before the
2009 floods. After the 2008 floods, a total of 146,000 people
were estimated to require emergency assistance in the rural
areas of the north-central and north-eastern Regions in order
to maintain their household food security and to avoid a
deterioration of nutritional status and poverty level after the
floods. Most of the population (80 percent) was identified to be
in the north-central Regions. Entering the 2008/2009 growing
season, the National Early Warning and Food Information
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