INVESTING IN WOMEN will increase Namibia’s agricultural sector’s growth and address food security issues and self-reliance. Women are the heart of all aspects of agriculture and farming in their communities.
This was the statement of Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata (executive director of agriculture and water reform), at a summit on women in agriculture hosted by Heiress Communications in Windhoek.
“Women contribute significantly to household investment, community resilience, national economic growth and the vibrancy of regional economies,” she told the meeting, which was attended by the minister of justice, Yvonne Dausab, and World Food Programme country director, George Fedha.
Nghituwamata stated that women’s roles in agriculture are important for reducing poverty and ensuring food safety at household and national levels. This is at a time when the country faces serious challenges in meeting the growing food needs of its population.
She stated that they are limited in their efforts due to a lack of access technologies, products, services, and market access.
“The challenge of food insecurity, particularly in the rural areas, has a negative impact on agricultural production – especially given the country’s increasing rural-urban migration.
“The rate of urbanisation stands at 4,2%, and it is expected that 60% of the country’s population will live in urban areas by the year 2030,” Nghituwamata said.
She stated that agriculture is an important economic sector as 70% of Namibia’s population are dependent on it for their livelihoods. The majority of smallholder farmers are women.
“Over the last five years, agriculture’s contribution to Namibia’s gross domestic product has been just around 5%, with primary products, including livestock and meat products, crop farming and forestry,” she said.
“It is well known that in Africa rural women are the backbone of agriculture production and food security,” she said, but acknowledged that Namibia’s arid climate and geographical conditions do not favour dryland crop farming and that crop varieties are limited.
She stated that, despite the importance of women in agriculture she said that they are restricted by a lack access to finance and decision-making.
Additionally, climate change is having a negative effect on national food security, food self sufficiency, nutrition, and food security. This is due to reduced access to food and consequently, a decrease in food quality.
The economic impact of livestock diseases such as foot-and mouth disease on northern communities has been devastating.
According to the executive director, disruptions in food supply chains and restricted movement of goods, people, and services triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic have brought to light the over-reliance on other countries when it comes to essential food.
“We need to rethink the country’s approach to economic growth and socio-economic development. At the ministry our focus is no longer on food security alone, but food security and food self-reliance,” she said.
Nghituwamata explained that the ministry is implementing several programs to help farmers.
The dryland program supports small and medium-scale crop growers with mechanised services and subsidised agricultural production inputs.
“During the 2021/22 cropping season, a total of 44 959 farmers, of which 50% were women, benefited from inputs and mechanised services,” she said.
Nghituwamata stated that the ministry also implemented the Horticulture Support and Value Chain Development Project in order to ensure sustainable access, availability, and the use of essential farm inputs, as well as capacity building for small-scale horticulture farmers.
“During the 2021/22 financial year, a total of 771 horticultural producers, of which 50% were women, benefited from input, mechanised services, and irrigation material subsidies under this programme.
“The programme received a total budget of N$6 million for the provision of subsidies during the 2022/23 financial year,” Nghituwamata said.
The Small Stock Development and Distribution Project was established in rural areas to help vulnerable rural households have a sustainable source of income and food and nutritional security. It also aims to improve their socio-economic wellbeing by providing them 20 ewes/does (goats) and 1 ram/buck as well as vaccines and medicines.
“A total of 492 famers have benefited, of which 207 were women,” said Nghituwamata.
“Apart from these programmes, we still have the issue of land. Land access and ownership remain important assets women need,” she said.
Nghituwamata stated that the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform developed and adopted a policy for land reform that guarantees access and equity and allows women to own land as men.
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Source: namibian
