Staff Reporter
THE insufficient performance of the 2022/23 rainfall season has left numerous households across the country in a precarious state of food insecurity, and the situation is expected to worsen as the year progresses.
This was highlighted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform’s second report on Crop and Household Food Security Monitoring Assessment, conducted from 8 May to 6 June 2023. This report makes it clear that both crop and livestock farmers, spanning from the North to the South, grappled with a range of difficulties caused by inadequate rainfall during this rainy season.
According to the report, the country’s food security situation has worsened due to highly unfavourable agricultural outcomes during the 2022/23 cropping season, primarily attributed to inadequate rainfall. The report further reveals that the 2022/23 rainy season witnessed below-average rainfall across the country, with a significant delay in its onset, and January being the only month that experienced productive rainfall.
Consequently, the report indicates that the majority of crop farmers faced crop failure, hindering their capacity to replenish their food stocks. The report additionally reveals that many households in key communal crop-producing areas experienced diminished harvests compared to the previous rainfall season. The report predicts that the recent harvest will be depleted between August and December, leaving numerous households in a state of food insecurity.
“Following the recent crop harvest, a significant decline in the yield was observed, with aggregate cereals yielding 9% below the harvest of the previous season, although 23% above the 10-year average production. This reduction in output can be attributed primarily to unfavourable growing conditions experienced throughout the 2022/2023 rainfall season,” the report added.
While all communal regions engaged in crop production reported insufficient harvests, according to the report, the commercial sector showed improved cereal production. However, the report notes that the commercial sector’s production still remains inadequate to meet the country’s consumption needs.
Focusing on the Zambezi Region, the report highlighted that, despite the favourable early-season rainfall, the extended dry spells experienced during the latter half of the rainy season irreversibly damaged the crops in the region. For this reason, the Zambezi Region reported meagre harvests, and, according to the report, this is expected to last until September only.
The report highlighted the Kavango East, Kavango West, Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana, and Oshikoto regions as some of the areas that also reported disappointing harvests, with some farmers in the two Kavango regions not harvesting anything at all. In the case of the northern central regions, the report cautioned that the harvests in these areas are expected to last only for two to three months from the harvest period.
The impact of inadequate rainfall also extended to the southern, eastern, and central regions, where livestock farmers faced substantial challenges. The report shows that insufficient and dry grazing conditions prevented these farmers, who mainly rely on livestock, from adequately supporting their animals during the dry season.
“The prevalence of food insecure households continues to increase, exacerbated by the recent erratic rainfall patterns that have led to a significant decline in agricultural production. It is anticipated that the situation will further deteriorate throughout the remainder of the year,” the report added.
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