'Give us our daily bread'

Jo-Maré Duddy – “We are always hungry; we only eat once a day.”For those of you who hide behind the famous saying - “lies, damned lies, and statistics” - when reputed agencies release alarming figures about poverty and food insecurity in Namibia: eat your words. Because the quote above comes from a labourer in the Ileni information in Keetmanshoop, one of several Namibians Business7 spoke to.Fritz Tsuseb (44) is one of the nearly 1.6 million people in Namibia who, once again, has been enduring some degree of hunger since December and will continue doing so at least until the end of this quarter. Average annual food inflation last year was only about 6%, not even remotely the 11% we saw in 2016 – the start of the current recessionary cycle.Tell that to Angela Goliath, a pensioner in Keetmanshoop.“When there is money we only buy maize meal as it’s the only food we can afford. For it to last us until the next month, we only eat once in a day.”Simonis Storm (SS) economist Theo Klein explains the economics behind the statistics, technical jargon quite unpalatable to the ordinary consumer: “Although Namibia has seen higher annual rates of food price inflation in the past, the data shows that current food price increases are coming off a higher base compared to previous years, which saw double-digit annual food price inflation. This is because the index was coming from a lower base in earlier years.”PLAIN ENGLISHFor Namibians struggling to make ends meet, Klein puts it in more digestible terms: “Any price increases experienced from current levels will be felt more severely by consumers, because a 10% increase on N$50 is felt more than a 10% increase on N$5. For example, a 5-kg bag of bananas cost you N$7.92 in 2000, N$14.07 in 2007, N$32.19 in 2019 and N$145 in 2021. In December 2021, banana prices increased by 12% compared to December 2020.”He elaborates: “The reason lower inflation rates experienced in recent months have a bigger effect on consumers compared to the higher rates experienced in the past, is because a 12% increase on N$145 is higher than a 12% increase on N$7.92 - 12% of N$7.92 is 95c, whereas a 12% on N$145 is N$17.40.”Julius Rukundo in the Otjozondjupa region voiced the sentiment of the majority of Namibians: “I can hardly afford anything in the shops. I usually buy fish and porridge which for me is the most affordable.”(The team of Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) spoke to people in the regions about the unaffordability and scarcity of food in their households. Read their stories on page 2.)ONE OUT OF THREEAccording to the latest analysis of the global multi-partner initiative known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the food security of 835 739 people or 33% of the population analysed can currently be described as stressed, which means they are experiencing “slight” hunger. A total of 631 697 or 25% of the population analysed are in crisis and have to endure “moderate” hunger. This is 74 739 or 13% more than the IPC total recorded from last October to November.A further 118 616 people or 5% of the population analysed are in an emergency, suffering from “severe” hunger. Compared to the previous IPC, this is a spike of nearly 17% or 16 986 people.The IPC analysis partners include the Namibian government, Unicef and the World Food Programme.RAVAGEDAmong others, the IPC attributes the Namibia’s worsening food insecurity to the continued negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy.“This may include impacts such as reduced job opportunities, loss of income, and lost livelihoods where low resilience households have no alternative options,” the IPC says.They continue: “In the projected period, most of the regions which are non-agricultural will have fewer employment opportunities due to the Covid-19 containment measures. This will imply loss of incomes due to layoffs and unavailability of casual labour farm jobs. It will take time for the economy to return to normal due to the impact of Covid-19 as well as the high prices driven by the increasing fuel prices.”The IPC points out that some regions have experienced drought for seven consecutive years and have not yet recovered from the effects of the shocks.“Labour opportunities and wages for poorer households are expected to be lower than average due to the impacts of Covid-19 and to the persistent drought that has ravaged most parts of the country for a number of seasons,” the IPC says.According to World Food Programme’s (WFP) country profile released in December, 17.4% of the Namibian population – a conservative estimation of more than 400 000 people – have to survive on less than US$39 a month, barely N$600 at the exchange rate.‘DOING WORSE’The latest Afrobarometer SDG Scorecard, tracking Namibia’s progress on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals over the past five years, shows the country is doing worse in chasing its target of no poverty (SDG1) and zero hunger (SDG2) by 2030.An Afrobarometer survey released last year on the impact of Covid-19 on livelihoods found more than six in ten Namibians had to go without enough food to eat and without a cash income at least once during the pandemic.The report, compiled by Survey Warehouse between December 2020 and February 2021, is filled with dreadful figures: 65% of respondents said their household income had reduced “significantly”, 49% indicated that they temporarily lost their jobs, business or income, while 42% lost their jobs, business or income permanently.More than 50% of respondents had to go without a cash income “many times/always or several times”.No official data yet reflects actual jobs losses in Namibia caused by the impact of Covid-19 and the ongoing recession. The Namibia Statistics Agency’s (NSA) last labour force survey in 2018 pegged the unemployment rate at around 33.4%.Local analysts now agree that at least 40% of Namibia’s workforce currently is unemployed. Trading Economics, a leading international website, states its global macro models and analysts expectations estimate that Namibia’s unemployment rate reached 36.8% in 2021.WASTEDNamibia’s malnutrition problem has been regarded as “serious” by the Global Hunger Index (GHI) since the turn of the century. The international index is a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger in the world.On the 2021 GHI, Namibia is regarded among 36 hungriest countries in the world. It is ranked 80th out of 116 countries worldwide.Among others, the GHI is based on the share of the population that is undernourished, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality. Child wasting considers the share of children under the age of five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition. Child stunting looks at the share of children under the age of five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition. The mortality rate of children under the age of five is also taking into consideration, which, in part, is a reflection of the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments.According to Unicef’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020, 7.6% of children in Namibia in 2019 (the latest available statistic) was wasted, while 29.2% was stunted in 2012. In 2015, 15.5% of babies had a low birthweight.Lies, damned lies, and statistics? Not according to Mercia Mutinga of Keetmanshoop: “Most of the time we only eat once a day and this leads the children to go in the streets and look for food.”jo-mare@republikein.com.na

'Give us our daily bread'

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Republikein 2024-11-25

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'Give us our daily bread'

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