Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa

The document examines Namibia's agricultural sector, highlighting how a conservative pricing agreement between producers and millers mitigated the impact of global food price spikes. It details the vulnerability of urban dwellers compared to subsistence farmers and outlines government initiatives, such as the Green Scheme and the Emergency Management Unit, to address climate-induced food insecurity. The briefing also discusses Namibia's trade position within SACU and the WTO, specifically its status as a net food-importing developing country.

• Namibia experienced a food price increase of 16.5 per cent in May 2008 compared to May 2007, and 40 per cent compared to May 2005, though this was less severe than in other countries due to a conservative pricing agreement between producers and millers.
• Approximately 1.5 million people in Namibia rely on subsistence farming for food security, leaving the remaining population—particularly poor urban dwellers—more vulnerable to food price volatility.
• Agricultural performance is highly weather-dependent, resulting in food self-sufficiency levels that fluctuate between 35 per cent and 75 per cent of total demand.
• The Namibian government is implementing several measures to combat climate change and food insecurity, including the Green Scheme to establish 22,000 hectares of irrigation farms along perennial rivers, though only 8,300 hectares have been included so far.
• To protect local production, the government controls imports of staple foods and horticultural products; for example, importers of fruit and vegetables must prove they purchased at least 25 per cent locally before receiving an import permit.
• Namibia's designation as a net food-importing developing country (NFIDC) by the WTO is expected to provide the government with more policy space to implement measures to increase national food production.

APA

Frøystad, M., Hoffmann, J., & Schade, K. (2009). Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ag_scenarios_south_africa_namibia.pdf

Chicago

Frøystad, Mona, Jürgen Hoffmann, and Klaus Schade. Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ag_scenarios_south_africa_namibia.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Frøystad |first1=Mona |last2=Hoffmann |first2=Jürgen |last3=Schade |first3=Klaus |title=Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ag_scenarios_south_africa_namibia.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{frystad2009agriculture, author = {Frøystad, Mona and Hoffmann, Jürgen and Schade, Klaus}, title = {{Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ag_scenarios_south_africa_namibia.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }