Food Security: Namibia’s last bullet

Strategic food production for food security is a sine qua non for the survival and existence of every nation-state. The underlining factor here is food production that translates into self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Food security which lacks self-sufficiency and self-reliance results in dependence on another nation. Depending on another country for food security is like being attached to an umbilical cord; once it is cut, the country will immediately suffocate from starvation and potentially famine.

Namibia will soon celebrate her 36th anniversary of independence, yet we are not self-reliant or self-sufficient in terms of food production. From a military viewpoint, successful generals are those who spend much of their time pondering the question: "What if?" It is "what if" questions that help put in place effective strategic plans in the event of a crisis.

Some fundamental questions a nation needs to interrogate are: What if a country enters into a serious conflict with a nation upon which it depends for food security? What if the country on which it depends is hit so hard by external or internal factors that it runs out of food surpluses for export for an extended period?

Specifically, does Namibia have an agricultural fallback strategy in the event of a worst-case scenario? The best way to answer these questions is to identify the "centre of gravity" that keeps us alive. Food security is our national centre of gravity; we must secure it against all forms of threats.

It must be underscored that agriculture is the answer to these questions. Namibia’s farming history has been very skewed; Black Namibians have predominantly farmed in communal areas, while White Namibians farmed in commercial farmlands. In communal areas, where the majority live, many farmers continue to farm traditionally without improvement. Furthermore, communal land is extremely limited in size.

Most communal land used for survival has been worked by ancestors since time immemorial. Conversely, the Government has provided limited agricultural assistance to communal farmers, resulting in minimal surpluses for the market. Simply put, because of the limited size of communal farmland, what farmers produce is merely a "hand-to-mouth" existence for survival.

Before independence, those who farmed commercially were successful because they were assisted by the Land Bank Act No. 13 of 1944. Individuals were unable to buy a farmland covering thousands of hectares, fence boundaries, demarcate camps, drill boreholes, build houses, and stock the farm without a Government helping hand. Under Section 24 of that Act, the loan repayment period was forty years with flexible terms. Accrued interest was determined by a board, providing a cushion that reduced pressure on farmers.

Under the Agricultural Bank of Namibia Act 5 of 2003, operational conditions are rigid and unbearable, putting pressure on farmers regardless of the conditions they face. The interest rate of Agribank is comparable to that of commercial banks; it is essentially a commercial bank in disguise. These interest rates create deterrence challenges for upcoming farmers.

These challenges manifest in several forms:

One may acquire commercial farmland but remain unable to stock it with livestock or secure equipment for crop production.

Farmland prices are exorbitant, resulting in a colossal financial burden, as prices are left entirely to the discretion of sellers.

Agribank interest is skyrocketing as rates are set without Government control.

There are no subsidies, particularly for upcoming and formerly disadvantaged farmers.

Much of the grazing space is taken over by bush encroachment, with no means to finance de-bushing.

Regardless of difficulties like severe droughts, Agribank defers payments rather than writing off arrears. Deferring a payment is like saying someone was supposed to be flogged today, but the punishment was moved to tomorrow. The pain remains the same.

There will be no food security in Namibia as long as farming is left solely to farmers without subsidies or affordable loans. Dedicated Government subsidies and affordable loans are the enabling strategies required for commercial farming; without them, food security will remain a nightmare.

Globalisation makes livelihood about dependency, independency, and interdependency. Nevertheless, agriculture is a national power so critical that it cannot be left to other nations. Food production is a prerequisite for which every nation must pay the price, regardless of the cost. A nation that depends on others for food will be vulnerable to external manipulation, compromising its sovereignty.

Nations that feed others are inevitably powerful and influential. Food production is, without doubt, an instrument of national power. To ensure sovereignty, a nation must free itself from food insecurity by identifying its main sources of food, setting quantifiable food stock levels, and financing the agricultural sector.

Food production is a "nerve centre" that must be protected. It must be nationally driven, properly coordinated, and financially supported. This involves managing land use, soil management, crop selection, and livestock breeding. Productivity can be affected by climate change, urbanisation, and soil erosion. Proactive agricultural strategies are not a choice, but a necessity.

In developed regions like the EU and USA, famine is rare because they have put in place effective strategic mitigating measures, using land as a means of production where subsidies and affordable loans are the remedies. Farmland must not be treated as a prestige symbol for gambling; it is a means of production.

Our farming industry in Namibia is broken; it needs to be fixed by turning farmlands into valuable assets for national food security. As Namibia traverses toward Vision 2030 and marks its 36th anniversary of independence, the need to defeat hunger—even if it means expending our "last bullets"—cannot be overemphasised.

In a nutshell, nobody survives on a borrowed stomach. Self-reliance and self-sufficiency in national food production must be the ultimate strategic goal. The 21st century is not for those who survive on the umbilical cords of other nation-states.

Lieutenant general (rtd) Denga Ndaitwah is a former Chief of the Defence Force, a holder of Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies, a former part time Lecturer at UNAM, a former HOD and Senior Lecturer at IUM and a former IUM Member of Governing Council. Views expressed here are that of an author.