Agriculture: Future Scenarios for Southern Africa

This 2009 briefing analyzes Namibia's agricultural sector and food security strategies. It highlights that while Namibia faced rising food prices, a conservative pricing agreement between producers and millers mitigated the impact. The report details the country's reliance on subsistence farming for 1.5 million people and the government's efforts to increase food security through irrigation (the Green Scheme), import controls on staples and horticulture, and targeted subsidies for communal farmers. It also discusses Namibia's trade position within SACU, SADC, and the WTO, emphasizing its status as a net food-importing developing country.

• Food prices in Namibia rose by 16.5 per cent in May 2008 compared to May 2007, and by 40 per cent compared to May 2005. However, these increases were less severe than in other countries because of a "conservative pricing agreement between producers and millers" that smooths out volatile international market conditions.
• Namibia's agricultural performance is heavily reliant on weather, resulting in food self-sufficiency levels that fluctuate between 35 per cent and 75 per cent of total demand. Approximately 1.5 million people out of a total population of two million rely on subsistence farming for food security, while poor urban dwellers are the most vulnerable to price spikes.
• The Namibian government is implementing several measures to address food security and climate change, including the 'Green Scheme' to establish 22,000 hectares of irrigation farms along perennial rivers (with 8,300 hectares included so far) and the construction of national storage capacity for staple grains in northern regions.
• To protect local production, the government controls imports of staple foods and horticultural products. A market share promotion initiative requires importers of fruit and vegetables to prove they purchased at least 25 per cent of their products locally before receiving an import permit, which helped increase local horticultural market share from 7 per cent to 35 per cent.
• Namibia's trade policy is significantly influenced by its membership in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and the SADC Free Trade Agreement. Its designation as a net food-importing developing country (NFIDC) by the WTO is expected to provide more "policy space" to increase national food production.
• The government has introduced various subsidies for communal farmers in dry land crop regions, including a 2008/09 budget of N$6.8 million for seed, fertilizer, ploughing, and weeding. Additionally, it abolished the 15 per cent value added tax (VAT) on certain staple foods, resulting in a government revenue loss of N$34 million.

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} }