Kavango Can Feed Namibia
Namibia imported 87% of its wheat and 64% of its maize during the 2025/26 season. This occurred after a generation-worst drought in 2024/25. Acute food insecurity affected about 40% of the population. The government declared a state of emergency and spent N$825 million on relief. The Kavango River carries about 10 billion cubic metres of water to the delta annually. Local irrigation schemes currently produce only a fraction of their potential.
During the 2025/26 season, Namibia imported about 87% of its wheat and 64% of its maize requirements. That followed the 2024/25 drought, the worst in a generation. About 40% of Namibians faced acute food insecurity, and the government declared a state of emergency and unlocked N$825 million for drought relief. The Kavango River, one of the few perennial rivers in the country, carries roughly 10 billion cubic metres of water to the delta every year. It runs past irrigation schemes that produce a fraction of what they could. That cannot be business as usual. A parliamentary standing committee on natural