More than half of Namibia’s population have experienced severe or moderate food insecurity in the past two years.
This is the latest United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation report.
The report, which was published this week, stated that 58% Namibians are food-insecure. This means that approximately 1,5 million people are hungry.
According to the FAO report titled “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World”, food insecurity in the country has increased since 2014 when it was at 53%.
According to statistics, 1,4 million Namibians couldn’t afford a healthy diet in 2020.
This is 100000 more people than in previous years.
According to the World Bank, 1,6 millions Namibians live in poverty.
According to the most recent World Bank overview of Namibia, this is because 200 000 more Namibians were pushed into poverty in the first Year of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Namibia has struggled with the effects of the pandemic for the past two years, while its economy has been suffering from drought in previous years.
Between 2020-2021, over 15 000 people were retrained.
The country currently has 773 463 people who are receiving social grants. This is funded by N$5,4 billion for social safety net programs.
Namibia is third in the list of southern African countries where people are unable to afford healthy food.
South Africa has 38,7 millions people who cannot afford a healthy diet. Lesotho is next with 1,8million, Namibia with 1,4million, Botswana at 1,4million, Botswana at 1,4million, and Eswatini, with 8 000.
ANALYSIS
Salomo Hei, an economist from Namibia, claims that nearly 60% of Namibia’s population are insecure and don’t know where their next meal will be.
“There has been a huge erosion of personal disposable income. Those who used to be able to afford goods and services at some point are no longer able to afford food any more, and that subsequently has had an impact on livelihoods,” he says.
Hei states that this could lead to a decrease in the life expectancy of Namibians, as it is directly linked to the ability for them to eat healthy, nutritious food.
“Certain events have triggered this high number, which include unemployment, Covid-19, and the general difficult economic environment we find ourselves in. Further than that is also the general increase in price, which makes it difficult for households to afford commodities needed on a daily basis,” Hei says.
Rinaani Mutua, a member from the Basic Income Grant (BIG), Coalition in Namibia, stated that the severity of poverty, and especially child poverty, is a sign of the urgency of the problem.
“The FAO’s statistics are not a surprise to us. Hunger and food insecurity are the main causes of poverty in Namibia. With 1,6 million poor people in Namibia, coupled with high unemployment, and where food prices have been on the increase, hunger will obviously be a major threat to a lot of Namibian people’s existence,” she says.
“We are aware that the government has introduced a N$500 household Harambee cash grant per month, which targets only 45 600 people, meaning only 2% of the population.
“The Harambee cash grant does not have an impact on malnutrition reduction, since it targets a small portion of the population.
“That is why we recommend that the Harambee cash grant be converted into a universal basic income grant for all Namibians aged 0 to 59, which will cover the entire population to ensure maximum impact on hunger,” she says.
Musutua stated that the government is being asked to intensify its fight against the poverty by implementing a universal BIG, N$500 per person per year for all Namibians over 59 to ensure maximum results.
PLANT-BASED IS BEST
Ridow-Ann English, a local dietetician, said that three out of five clients she treats for diabetes, hypertension and over- or undernutrition in the public health setting are either unemployed, self employed, or have very little to no income.
“This makes it extremely difficult to counsel them on a more nutritious diet, however, with an increased understanding of which affordable foods they can purchase, they are able to make the necessary changes in their diet for a short period of time,” she says.
English says counselling is effective, but it is not always sustainable, as the issue isn’t a lack in nutrition, but a lack in money.
She states that Namibians often assume healthy food is expensive. However, plant-based foods, such as soy mince and lentils, brown rice, fruits and other vegetables, are actually the most affordable.
“Not many are aware that these foods can be part of a healthy diet,” English says.
Source: namibian
