Recurrent climatic shocks—such as drought and flooding—and other disruptions of agricultural production have periodically driven food insecurity in Namibia. El Niño-induced drought conditions and resultant crop failure since October 2023, coupled with economic decline and unemployment, have undermined food security conditions in Namibia, leaving approximately 1.4 million people—nearly half of the population—acutely food-insecure as of August 2024, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. Areas most heavily affected by drought include northern Namibia’s Kavango East, Kunene, Ohangwena, Omaheke, Oshikoto, and Zambezi regions. Food and nutrition conditions are expected to further deteriorate as Namibia enters the September 2024 to March 2025 lean season.
On May 20, 2024, U.S. Ambassador to Namibia Randy Berry issued a Declaration of Humanitarian Need for drought-related food insecurity and malnutrition in Namibia. In response, USAID provided $100,000 in initial relief assistance to support the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in assessing nutrition needs across Namibia.
