Marthina Mutanga
WORLD Hunger Day is observed globally on 28 May every year and the objective of this day is to raise awareness about more than 820 million people living in chronic hunger worldwide.
Esther Lusepani Executive Director Minister of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare said this day also emphasises the importance of Namibia’s effort to “end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”.
“We reflect on the global commitment to attain SDG goal 2 “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”. As the world calls upon every nation to support each other and work together in attaining in ending world Hunger, said Lusepani.
The government of the Republic of Namibia continues to strengthen its’ strategies towards addressing hunger in Namibia.
Food insecurity in Namibia is less a problem of availability and more a question of access and utilization. Although being a structurally food-deficit country, Namibia is still able to ensure the availability of food at a national level through imports and local production.
High dependence on food imports, therefore, makes the country susceptible to high food prices, a situation that further compromises the ability of poor and most vulnerable households to access adequate food that is available in the country.
The issue of food and nutrition insecurity in Namibia is a major factor that leads to poverty, compounded by unequal incomes, recurrent natural hazards where cyclical drought and floods severely affect people’s livelihoods.
Lusepani noted that Namibia prides itself on having made good progress in reducing the proportion of the population that is food insecure from 34 percent in 2016 to 18 percent in 2020. This achievement shows its commitment to attaining SDG 2.
The Namibia Zero Hunger Road Map strategy implementation stressed all effort towards eliminating hunger across the country in the 2016 to 2020 period.
It projects a common vision around a set of objectives that must be met to achieve Zero Hunger in Namibia.
The goal is not just about having enough food, its efforts extend to the need of living healthy through the production, supply, and creating access to nutritious food.
“It asserts that hunger can be eliminated in our lifetime. However, coordinated efforts are required to ensure that every man, woman, and child enjoy their right to adequate food; women are empowered; priority is given to family farming, and all food systems nationwide are sustainable and resilient,” she said.
