19/11/2020
Namibia has been experiencing drought since 2013. This period had been marked with serious food shortages; sometimes with devastating impacts but sometimes better.
The Namibian coastal area is located in the Namib Desert; being influenced by the cold Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, the coat is isolated from the rest of the country being surrounded by sand dunes on the east and the Ocean westward.
If a similar disaster such as COVID-19 strikes again, the coastal regions will be at a higher risk than other regions. The Ports are mainly used for non-food commodities and the lock down effectively makes food transportation and distribution slow.
There is an urgent need for a robust strategy to improve the coastal food procurement system; starting in densely populated areas. Furthermore, this strategy should look at alternative farming systems involving climate resilient technologies (CRTs).
Finally COVID-19 had demonstrated what we had always known - our vulnerability to food shortage. Post-COVID-19, the relief measures being provided will be lifted and this will leave more consumers vulnerable to impacts of COVID-19. Hopefully, consumers will be ready by then to mitigate the after shock. Current mitigation strategies include: own-food production, increased household food sufficiency, avoid debts, increase savings and consume local food stuffs.
Fortunately various CRTs exist that could be used to improve food sufficiency but this will depend on willingness to adopt and invest in CRTs. Ugab Eco-farming Technologies was a demonstration farming facilities which started in October 2019 and run until October 2020. This facility had proved that farming in arid conditions is possible and production could be increased when CRTs is combined with the blue ocean economy involving use of fisheries and marine resources as non-traditional ingredients in livestock feed as well as organic fertilizer. Contact [email protected] for the the Feasibility Study Report.
Ugab Eco-Farming Technology (ECUTS) Ugab Eco-Farming Technology (ECUTS) is a multi-trophic farm located ialong the Ugab River in Erongo region.
