Namibia PDNA 2009 - GFDRR

System (NEWFIS), reported concerns among farmers regarding seed availability for planting. Severe flooding from 2008, preceded
by years of drought had had the effect of limiting or exhausting farmers’ stocks. As of the December 2008, Crop Prospects and Food
Security Report, published by NEWFIS, all the north-central Regions as well as the Kavango Region were still waiting for improved
seeds of mahangu from the Mahenene Seed Co-operative.
Early crop production indications for the 2008/09 farming season for both the North-eastern and north central farming region of
Namibia were promising due to steady, early rain received starting in October and November. The country’s aggregate coarse grain
production (white maize, pearl millet, wheat and sorghum) is provisionally forecasted at 165,129 tons, which would represent an
increase in output of 56 percent compared to 2007/08 harvest. In March 2009, the NEWFIS released an updated food security report
based on information collected in February 2009.
Damage and Losses Assessment 29
Above-average rainfall was received in northern Namibia as well as southern Angola starting in January 2009, raising concerns about
the season’s prospects for harvests. In the north-central Regions, the flat, natural topography combined with undersized drainage
infrastructure further exacerbated the situation. In the Caprivi Region, the Zambezi River reached its highest level since 1969. Farmers
that had planted seeds in November 2008 did manage to harvest some crops; however, most farmers who waited until January 2009
to plant reported total losses. Damages to the agriculture sector are estimated at a floor of N$29.1 million and losses are estimated
at nearly N$140 million, as shown in the table below. Losses were mainly felt in the field crops sub-sector.
Table 54: Estimates of agricultural damage and loss
Sector
Damage
(N$ million)
Disaster Effects
Losses
(N$ million)
Ownership by Sector
Private
(N$ million)
Field Crops 4.6 101.2 231.2
Livestock 8.9 17.0 42.8
Public
(N$ million)
Forestry 3.7 3.2 0.7 5.8
Fish Farms 11.9 6.1 18
Total 29.1 127.5 292.8 5.8
Table 55: Disaster impacts to crop production
Source: PDNA Team estimates
Area
Planted Area
(ha)
Actual Harvested
Area (ha)
Effect
Forecast Production
(tons)
Actual Production
(tons)
North-central Regions 259,400 177,812 -31% 87,000 64,850 -25%
North-eastern Regions 35,971 22,755 -37% 20,000 13,422 -33%
Total 295,371 200,567 -32% 107,000 78,272 -27%
Effect
Source: PDNA Team Estimates
In the north-central Regions, Oshana and Omusati were some of the hardest hit. Damage was reported to over 80,000 ha of
crop land in the north central regions and over 13,000 ha of cropland in the north-eastern Regions. Damage was also reported to
granaries used for storage of mahangu. In the north-central Region alone, FEMCO reported over 86,000 people in critical need of
food aid as a result of damages to crop lands. The overwhelming majority of the cropland destroyed belonged to small subsistence
farmers, who are particularly vulnerable to disaster impacts. As stated previously, an exceptionally poor harvest in 2008 further
exacerbated the situation arising from the 2009 flooding. The timing of the flooding resulted in dramatic, although not total losses,
29 Two other assessments of the crop, livestock and food security situation were made: one by the Namibia Early Warning and Food Information
Unit of the Directorate of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (Namibia: Crop Prospects and Food Security Situation Report,
July 9, 2009) and one by the FAO and WFP (FAO/WFP Crop, Livestock and Food security Mission to Namibia, July 14 2009). There conclusion
are similar to the PDNA. Part of the FAO/WFP assessment is presented in annex 4 bis.
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Namibia POST-DISASTER NEEDS ASSESSMENT