Ten-thousand residents of the Kunene Region’s Epupa Constituency cannot afford to buy food, a crisis exacerbated by the recurring drought, the aftermath of COVID-19, and the high degree of poverty in the region’s poorest constituency.
This figure represents nearly half of the constituency’s population, which currently stands at 26 491 according to last year’s population census, a figure regarded as worrisome by Epupa Constituency councillor Tjimtambo Kuuoko.
Kuuoko in a recent interview that focused on the constituency’s challenges, told Nampa that the increase in food insecurity was not due to the constituency’s sluggish economy, but rather drought, which continues to wreak havoc on farmers’ livelihoods, leaving individuals dependent on the government feeding programme.
He further stated that around 2 000 households rely on the food programme for survival after most people lost their jobs at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the majority of inhabitants lost their livestock and crops to drought.
‘Farmers in the Epupa Constituency have not harvested enough crops for the past seven years. Farmers used to prepare their fields, but now it only rains once in a while and some areas don’t even get any rain. Livestock farmers lost most of their livestock during the past seven years as well,’ he said.
According to Kuuoko, the vast majority of drought-affected farmers have relocated to other regions such as Omusati, Oshikoto, and the two Kavango regions in search of better pasture, while some have chosen to migrate to neighbouring Angola.
Meanwhile, the councillor commended government entities such as the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform and the Kunene Regional Council, among others, for their efforts to mitigate the drought. Boreholes have been drilled, renovated, and installed, and the work is still proceeding, he said.
‘The drought assistance programme will continue to be distributed until June 2025 and while food is in short supply due to the extended drought,
the majority of locals also rely on handouts,’ he noted.
Currently, the constituency provides drought relief food packages that include one 20 kilogramme bag of maize meal, one bottle of cooking oil and four tins of fish.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency