During the current period of analysis, from July to September 2024, 1.15 million people in Namibia (38 percent of the analysed population) face high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) and require urgent action to reduce food gaps and protect livelihoods; all the 14 areas of analysis are classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). This represents an improvement compared to what was projected in the last July 2023 analysis, where 1.44 million people (48 percent) were expected to face high levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) for the same period (July-September 2024). While the main assumption on the impact of El Nino was adjusted, the deterioration of the food security situation is still linked to the negative impact of El Nino on crop and livestock production, price shocks, economic decline and unemployment. 

In the first projection period (October 2024 – March 2025), the food security situation is expected to worsen due to the start of the lean season, and seasonal price increases, where 1.26 million people (41 percent of the analysed population) are expected to be in IPC Phase 3 or above. Most of the areas are likely to remain classified in Crisis (IPC Phase 3). 

Recommendations to improve food availability 

• Provision of drought-resistant seeds and training on modern agricultural techniques to communal farmers. 
• Provide more capacity strengthening initiatives for agricultural extension officers. 
• Strengthen the awareness creation on the livestock incentives. 
• Expand hydroponic fodder production to all regions. 
• Strengthen and disseminate early warning information to rural farmers on climate-related activities. 

Recommendations to improve access to food 

• Create awareness to the public on human-wildlife conflict issues. 
• Develop programmes and projects that create employment opportunities for youth in the agricultural, fishing, mining and tourism sectors to reduce the high youth unemployment. 
• Strengthen advocacy and awareness raising, response mechanisms and coordination amongst stakeholders against child abandonment, early child marriages, Gender-based Violence (GBV), increased number of adolescent or unplanned pregnancies due to prostitution as a form of survival due to a lack food or money to buy food and other needs. 
• Strengthen awareness on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse leading to malnutrition and increases of GBV cases due to lack of food. 
• Expand the roll-out of the Conditional Basic Income grant to vulnerable populations in urban and peri-urban areas. 
• Improve the rate for the cash/food for work and de-bushing programmes of communities utilized to clear roads to inaccessible rural areas due to of lack of good road network hampering assistance and development. 
• Introduction of price ceilings of staple foods to reduce the inflated staple prices. 

Recommendations to address food utilization issues 

• Strengthen the awareness creation of the Solar Revolving fund to build resilience by providing relief to electricity users. 
• Improve coordination, collaboration, consultation and communication in food security and nutrition issues. 
• Ensure full involvement of hydrologists to determine the availability of underground water and determine the salinity of water during testing, drilling and rehabilitation to reduce the low water pressure and boreholes drying up and the interrupted water supply for prolonged periods of time. 
• Strengthen the construction of earth dams in all regions, which are prone to floods, to ensure they are constructed in a way that does not pose a risk to humans and animals, and to be able to harvest water during the rainy season. 
• Use data to inform the distribution of water in all communities and establish a regulatory body to regulate water tariffs for all water suppliers in the entire country.