In response to the desire by the Government to strengthen its policy, legal and institutional framework for agriculture, fisheries, forestry and nutrition, FAO will focus action on:

• strengthening the capacity of national institutions to formulate inclusive policies, regulations, legal frameworks and sector-sensitive strategic documents on land governance, agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food security and nutrition,
• strengthening Namibia’s capacity to implement national and international commitments including trade regulations and
• strengthening the capacity for evidence-based and gender disaggregated information generation and robust M&E systems in the agriculture, food security and nutrition sector.

Despite employing a third of the formal work force and being the source of livelihood for 70 % of the population, agriculture and forestry contribute only 4.1%to GDP and this is expected to decline further. In addition to this, extension and other support services are limited in capacity, smallholder farmers are poorly organized and productivity in the sector is very low. In line with the main strategic directions in the  agriculture and forestry sector which focus on developing sustainable value chains, increasing production and productivity in key commodities; as well as strengthening the key services to farmers, FAO will pursue:

• strengthening capacity in food systems approaches, value chain and agribusiness development,
• strengthening capacity  for improved smallholder farmer productivity and diversification,
• strengthening capacity for improved food safety and standards and
•  improved capacity for knowledge management in agriculture.

This priority is in response to capacity limitations with respect to land governance, and building on prior investments by FAO in this area. Furthermore, in view of Namibia’s aridity – the country is the driest country in Sub-Saharan Africa - the need for mastering and optimizing the use of the available water resources for agricultural production is imperative. Much of the work foreseen will focus on providing a sound analytical basis through feasibility studies and technical support to enable sound decision making on the use of water and other natural resources. FAO will focus on:

• strengthening capacity for land governance and,
• strengthening capacity for natural resources utilisation and management.

While Namibia is prone to climate related hazards - notably floods and droughts, their frequency and intensity are increasing; with significant damages and losses at landscape, household and national levels. New threats from notorious pests including the Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) are causing significant damage to crops and grazing areas. Furthermore, being a major livestock producing and exporting country, the need to control livestock diseases is a key concern. Support is also sought to support strengthening frameworks for social protection in the agriculture sector. FAO will work towards ensuring:

• national capacities are strengthened to mitigate and respond to disasters, environmental challenges and climate change capacity is strengthened for transboundary and non-transboundary crop and animal pest and disease management
• capacity is  improved for early warning information systems as well as social protection and productive safety nets.