Namibia PDNA 2009 - GFDRR

in production because those farmers who planted prior to
January 1, 2009 were able to harvest some crops. The Seed
Co-operative, based in Ohanenene, Omusati, reported an
entire loss of crops, which means that it will have to import
seed from other countries to sell to farmers.
Representatives from the WFP conducted extensive field
research to identify food security needs associated with early
recovery for the agricultural sector. This research indicated that
the rural populations, who remained with their homesteads
to protect their assets during the flood, did not receive the
same level of food assistance as people in the urban areas who
were relocated to temporary shelters. The population group
that did not receive food assistance during the floods relies
on the household food stocks and the support from relatives
and neighbours. The population affected by the floods that was
originally chronically food insecure has changed to acute food
insecurity.
The WFP reported that households that are experiencing
acute transitorily food insecurity are mostly headed by
subsistence farmers that have lost their mahangu stocks and
have experienced estimated losses of 80 percent on average
of the main harvest due to the impact of the floods. They
are mostly single female-headed households, with low crop
production, low expenditure per capita, and low livestock
ownership in their communities.
The needs in terms of food assistance for the period from
March 2009 through March 2010 are shown in the table
below.
Table 56: Food assistance needs arising from flood
damages and losses
Sub-Sector
Deficit (tons)
Crops 36,388
Meat 23,365
Milk 29,320,659
Source for Food Assistance Data 2008 WFP Food Security Report.
Source for Required Food Quantities FAOStat (Consumption
Statistics for Namibia. Source for Unit Prices for Food Import
World Bank Commodity Price Data (Pink Sheet June 2009)
There was a significant mortality of livestock, owing to both
drowning and flood-related disease. Flood-related disease also
caused significant production losses while animals received
treatment. Damages were sustained to two governmentowned
fisheries in the north-eastern Regions. In the northcentral
Regions, there are no commercial fish farming
operations, however there are numerous small ponds owned
by communal farmers that sustained losses due to fish escaping
from the ponds when flood waters peaked.
Recovery Strategy
The recovery framework for the agriculture sector can be
divided into an early recovery phase, during which the food
security needs of the affected population must be addressed;
a medium-term recovery phase during which the needs of the
farmers to replant and ultimately harvest during the 2009/2010
season must be addressed; and, finally a long-term recovery
phase which should address the recommendations made in
the Risk Management Issues section of this Annex.
The early recovery findings and recommendations in this
report are drawn from findings of the WFP as part of the
PDNA effort (see Annex 11). The food needs arising from the
damages and losses are estimated to be over N$900 million. As
per the findings of the WFP, the rural, vulnerable populations
are experiencing transitory acute food insecurity as a direct
effect of the floods and are in need of external assistance.
Furthermore, the situation can be expected to worsen during
August and September, at which point even those famers who
managed to reap a small harvest will have exhausted their food
stocks. External assistance will be required for approximately
one-third of the population in the flood-affected areas, as
shown in the Table below.
Table 57: Population Experiencing Food Insecurity
Area
Northeastern
Region
North
central
Regions
Population
Facing
Food
Insecurity
Total
Population
Percent of
Total
39,023 280,945 14
124,684 779,274 16
Total 163,707 1,060,219 15
Source: WFP Field work
For farmers who own “big cattle,” selling it can be a key coping
strategy as the cash obtained by selling the livestock can cover
the food needs of the household members for a long period of
time. In the view of the large supply of animals, however, largescale
selling of livestock for cash could lead to a rapid drop in
price, thus undermining this coping strategy. Typically, whether or
not farmers own cattle can often be the dividing line between
the poor and non-poor, or those needing assistance.
The floods have washed away the stocks of sorghum and
mahangu stored from previous harvests as well as from the
2009 harvest; the remaining stocks at the household level
are reportedly not likely to last beyond September 2009. The
losses of mahangu stocks have reduced the food availability
75