-
Crisis Severity0 Very lowVery high 5
-
Impact0 Very lowVery high 5
-
Humanitarian Conditions0 Very lowVery high 5
-
Complexity0 Very lowVery high 5
-
Access ConstraintsNo constraintsExtreme constraints
Key figures
Overview
27/12/2021
An estimated 659,000 people (26% of the population analysed) were facing Crisis levels or higher (IPC Phase 3 or above) of food insecurity across Namibia between October–November 2021, including 102,000 people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). Food insecurity is driven by a nationwide drought the country experienced in 2019, price increase of food and non-food items between April–September 2021, and the impact of COVID-19 restrictive measures on supply chains and livelihoods. The most affected regions are Ohangwena and Kavango East, where 40% of the population faces Crisis levels or higher (IPC Phase 3 or above) of food insecurity.?
Vulnerability to the increase of food prices is high in Namibia because poor households rely on ill-adapted rainfed agriculture and external markets for food consumption, making them less resilient to shocks. About 38% of the affected population implements negative coping strategies ranging from spending savings, borrowing money, and not paying rent to withdrawing children from schools and selling houses or lands.?
The food security situation is expected to worsen between December 2021 and March 2022. About 750,000 people (30% of the population analysed) are projected to experience Crisis levels or higher (IPC Phase 3 or above) of food insecurity, including 119,000 people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). ?
Latest Developments
18/08/2021
No significant recent humanitarian developments. This crisis is being monitored by our analysis team.
KEY PRIORITIES
27/12/2021
Food: Food needs increase in Namibia during the lean season (October–March). About 659,000 people are food-insecure and require humanitarian assistance to reduce food gaps and prevent acute malnutrition.?
Health: Recurring outbreaks include a hepatitis E, since September 2017, and the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. Nearly 64% of the population is at risk of contracting malaria; its transmission season begins in December and ends in May.?
Education: Children’s access to education has been affected by COVID-19 measures and the prolonged closure of schools. With the worsening food crisis, some poor households have been resorting to Crisis coping strategies such as withdrawing children from schools. ?
Protection: The drought in Namibia increases women’s vulnerability to negative coping mechanisms such as early marriage and sexual exploitation, which can lead to early pregnancies. About 19% of young women aged 15–19 has begun childbearing. ?
