WINDHOEK, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has achieved a significant milestone in its pursuit of food self-sufficiency, reaching a 45 percent self-sufficiency level after 15 years of dedicated efforts, the World Food Program (WFP) of the United Nations said in a statement Friday.

Through a collaborative endeavor, Namibia has made strides in bolstering its food ecosystem, despite being a desert nation heavily reliant on food imports, particularly for staple grains such as maize, pearl millet and wheat.

"The objective is to expand operations, increase crop production and propel Namibia toward food self-sufficiency while diminishing dependence on imports," said Fidelis Mwazi, chief executive of Namibia's Agronomic Board.

Meanwhile, the WFP has been actively promoting end-to-end food systems in Namibia, offering support in various forms such as climate-smart technology, drought-resistant seeds, infrastructure investment, clean energy solutions, market access facilitation, and agricultural training.

George Fedha, WFP's representative and country director in Namibia, emphasized the organization's role in complementing the Namibian government's priorities in scaling up domestic food production.

"Over the years, the WFP has been complementing the government's priorities in scaling up domestic food production, facilitating partnerships and investments that enable the country to capture greater value from the food system as well as strengthen systems and structures that demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness to deliver on this mandate," he said.

Currently, the WFP provides technical support to the Namibian government to help strengthen the food systems value chain as well as accelerate rural transformation toward the attainment of zero hunger. Enditem

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