Hunger levels crippling
Namibia has high levels of hunger than countries like Iraq.
Namibia has a serious hunger problem, a global report tracking the state of hunger worldwide has found.
In the 2018 Global Hunger Index, Namibia ranks 80th out of 119 countries.
The report, prepared by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, says Namibia is among the 45 countries that have “serious levels of hunger”.
With a score of 24.3, Namibia suffers from a level of hunger that is serious, according to the report.
But Namibia has managed to improve its score since 2010, when it stood at 30.9, also falling in the serious category.
Namibia's score is higher than countries such as Iraq and Iran, which have scores of 22.1 and 7.3 respectively.
The index, now in its 13th year, ranks countries based on four key indicators, namely undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting and child stunting.
According to the report the proportion of undernourished people in Namibia stands at 25.4%. This has decreased from 37.4% since 2010.
The prevalence of wasting in children under the age of five years has slightly increased, from 6.7% in 2010 to 7.1% in 2018.
The prevalence of stunting in children under five years has also decreased, from 26.1% in 2010 to 23.1% this year.
The under-five mortality rate has decreased from 5.6% in 2010 to 4.5% in 2018.
At the regional level, the 2018 GHI scores for South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, at 30.5 and 29.4 respectively, are dramatically higher than those of other regions of the world.
These scores, indicating serious levels of hunger, stand in stark contrast to those of East and Southeast Asia, the Near East and North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, which range from 7.3 to 13.2 and indicate low or moderate hunger levels.
Zero is the best score and a reading above 100 is the worst. The latter signifies that a country's undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality levels are at the highest level.
Namibia will observe World Food Day on 30 October.
According to the agriculture ministry it will observe the day in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), and with support from the broader United Nations family and the private sector in Namibia.
The day will be celebrated at Bunya village in the Kapako Constituency in the Kavango West Region. The event will be held under the theme 'Our Actions Are Our Future: A Zero Hunger World By 2030 Is Possible'.
The SADC committee of ministers of agriculture and food security decided in May 2017 that the regional World Food Day commemoration will be hosted by the country designated as chair of SADC. As the current chair of SADC, Namibia agreed to host it this year.
Ministers from South Africa, Tanzania, the SADC Secretariat and the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Botswana, as well as high commissioners and ambassadors to Namibia, have been invited to take part in the event.
At the event, government ministries and agencies, as well as private companies, will showcase their products and services in the agriculture, fisheries, forestry, food and water sectors.
ELLANIE SMIT
In the 2018 Global Hunger Index, Namibia ranks 80th out of 119 countries.
The report, prepared by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide, says Namibia is among the 45 countries that have “serious levels of hunger”.
With a score of 24.3, Namibia suffers from a level of hunger that is serious, according to the report.
But Namibia has managed to improve its score since 2010, when it stood at 30.9, also falling in the serious category.
Namibia's score is higher than countries such as Iraq and Iran, which have scores of 22.1 and 7.3 respectively.
The index, now in its 13th year, ranks countries based on four key indicators, namely undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting and child stunting.
According to the report the proportion of undernourished people in Namibia stands at 25.4%. This has decreased from 37.4% since 2010.
The prevalence of wasting in children under the age of five years has slightly increased, from 6.7% in 2010 to 7.1% in 2018.
The prevalence of stunting in children under five years has also decreased, from 26.1% in 2010 to 23.1% this year.
The under-five mortality rate has decreased from 5.6% in 2010 to 4.5% in 2018.
At the regional level, the 2018 GHI scores for South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, at 30.5 and 29.4 respectively, are dramatically higher than those of other regions of the world.
These scores, indicating serious levels of hunger, stand in stark contrast to those of East and Southeast Asia, the Near East and North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, which range from 7.3 to 13.2 and indicate low or moderate hunger levels.
Zero is the best score and a reading above 100 is the worst. The latter signifies that a country's undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality levels are at the highest level.
Namibia will observe World Food Day on 30 October.
According to the agriculture ministry it will observe the day in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), and with support from the broader United Nations family and the private sector in Namibia.
The day will be celebrated at Bunya village in the Kapako Constituency in the Kavango West Region. The event will be held under the theme 'Our Actions Are Our Future: A Zero Hunger World By 2030 Is Possible'.
The SADC committee of ministers of agriculture and food security decided in May 2017 that the regional World Food Day commemoration will be hosted by the country designated as chair of SADC. As the current chair of SADC, Namibia agreed to host it this year.
Ministers from South Africa, Tanzania, the SADC Secretariat and the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Botswana, as well as high commissioners and ambassadors to Namibia, have been invited to take part in the event.
At the event, government ministries and agencies, as well as private companies, will showcase their products and services in the agriculture, fisheries, forestry, food and water sectors.
ELLANIE SMIT
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