The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform says land degradation and bush encroachment cost Namibia’s livestock sector between N$2.1 billion and N$4.2 billion annually.
According to a recent document, approximately 45 million hectares of rangeland are affected, with bush encroachment reducing agricultural productivity and impacting groundwater recharge.
“Both commercial and communal farming areas are impacted by land degradation and bush encroachment, contributing to a decline in productivity by two-thirds over recent decades. This represents annual losses estimated at between N$2.1 billion and N$4.2 billion in livestock production,” the Ministry said.
This comes as the decline in productivity has affected livestock production, which historically contributed 70% of Namibia’s agricultural output.
However, this figure has dropped to an estimated 60% over the past five years, partly due to environmental challenges and declining stock numbers.
“Namibia has an average livestock stocking rate of 25kg per hectare, but much higher rates in regions like Omusati, Oshana and Ohangwena result in land degradation,” the Ministry emphasised.
Namibia’s Strategy for the Transformation of the Agri-Food Sector 2025/26–2030/31 prioritises the implementation of regenerative rangeland management and sustainable livestock practices.
Key measures include grazing plans that allow adequate recovery periods for forage plants and the development of forage flow plans.
“Sustainable stocking rates can be achieved by implementing grazing plans that allow for adequate recovery periods of forage plants between grazing cycles,” the Ministry said.
In addition, the strategy focuses on improving market access for farmers in Northern Communal Areas (NCAs).
The Veterinary Cordon Fence (VCF) currently restricts livestock movement and marketing, limiting production to subsistence farming in those areas.
“Developing markets for meat produced north of the VCF will serve as an incentive to produce more and higher-quality meat on a more commercial basis,” the Ministry said.
Furthermore, animal health remains a significant challenge, especially in the NCAs, where diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) persist.
Proposals include fencing the Angolan border, introducing zoning, and enhancing vaccination and surveillance programs.
“The biggest challenge in the NCAs is to improve animal health, especially in terms of combating Foot and Mouth Disease and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry also stressed the importance of promoting indigenous livestock breeds that are better suited to Namibia’s increasingly arid conditions.
The beef industry primarily supplies live animals to South African feedlots, which prefer non-indigenous breeds, posing a risk to drought-tolerant local breeds.
“Farmers will need to adjust by rearing adaptive, smaller-framed indigenous breeds as the production environment becomes more arid and unpredictable,” the Ministry said.
