COVID-19 sparks food insecurity – Report
A recent study conducted by the Namibia Statistics Agency reveals that food security was a major concern during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 7,002 households across the 14 regions in Namibia participated in the Covid-19 Households and Job Tracker Survey conducted by the NSA from 14 March 2021 to 13 April 2021.
The final report documenting the outcome of the survey was published on 27 October 2021, after consultations with supporting partners who helped fund the survey exercise. The survey had a response rate of 51%, where 3,593 households fully completed the survey
The study shows that 59% of Namibian households reported price increases in major food items as the most commonly experienced shock, forcing them to reduce food consumption.
The COVID-19 Household Job Tracker survey further showed households who relied on income from family livestock farming or fishing (49%), non-farming related family businesses (65%) and those who depended on income from properties, investment and savings (55%) experienced the largest reductions in income.
The survey was conducted just before the beginning of the 3rd Covid-19 wave in the country and a national sample of 7002 households was drawn from the responding households of the 2018 Labour Force Survey.
