Namibia wants to slash food insecurity to 12%

The agriculture ministry wants to enhance food security by increasing food production by 20% and reducing food insecurity from 25% to 12% in the country.Agriculture deputy executive director Mildred Kambinda said that the availability of quality seed of improved varieties is a key strategy for the agriculture sector in Namibia to contribute 3.7% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and to sustain 70% of Namibians who derive their livelihood from agriculture.Kambinda made these remarks at the handover of a cold storage room by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (Tika) at the Mannheim Crop Research Station in Tsumeb.Kambinda said the utilisation of combined strategies, including quality seeds and water and nutrient use-efficiency technologies, among others, are important to reduce the effect of climate change, which can result in low crop yields, especially among small scale farmers.She added that a well-established seed system requires the cooperation between private and public entities, developmental partners and donor agencies.The deputy executive director highlighted the “need for the development of varieties for targeting agro-ecology that are preferred by farmers and the market.”Work togetherAccording to her, this requires plant breeders, infrastructures, equipment and budgets.Kambinda said that seed production, in line with minimum standards. requires technical teams and budgets for training and to ensure that seed growers produce quality certified seeds.In addition, seed processing and storage are important to maintain quality seed and the timely distribution and dissemination of the seed to farmers is crucial to increase the probability of harvesting.The ministry will use the coolroom infrastructure to maintain the quality of foundation seed for the major staple crops such as pearl millet and mahangu, maize, sorghum, cowpea, bambara groundnut and newly introduced soybeans.PreserveTika&#039;s country coordinator, Aydin Apaydin, said with 40% of seed production at the Mannheim Crop Research Station going to waste each year, the cold storage infrastructure will preserve and store seeds, and increase seed availability to breeders.Apaydin said seed is a critical source of agricultural productivity innovation, especially for resource-constrained small-scale farmers.“Thus, improved seed can significantly boost agricultural productivity in arid countries such as Namibia. Furthermore, seed is also a fundamental unit in agriculture, serving as the foundation for food security and biodiversity conservation.”

Namibia wants to slash food insecurity to 12%

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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Namibia wants to slash food insecurity to 12%

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Namibian Sun 2025-11-05

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