By Shange-Ndamona Mungoba
Food security remains one of Namibia’s central development priorities. It extends beyond simply producing food to ensuring that every citizen can access safe, nutritious, and affordable food at all times.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food security rests on four interlinked pillars: availability, access, utilization, and stability.
Namibia’s progress across these pillars reflects both resilience and areas needing urgent transformation through smart agriculture.
Namibia’s Progress and the Current Food System
Namibia has made notable strides in improving food availability. Domestic production, supported by the Green Scheme projects and irrigation initiatives, contributes meaningfully to local supply. However, local output still meets only about half of national cereal demand, compelling the country to rely heavily on imports.
In 2024, Namibia imported roughly 70 percent of its fresh produce and more than 80 percent of its staple foods such as maize and wheat. While these imports ensure market stability, they also reveal untapped opportunities for local production and eventual export.
Formal market access, however, remains a challenge. Namibia’s vast land area, dispersed population, and high logistical costs hinder the movement of goods from rural farms to urban markets.
Despite these challenges, the country’s adherence to food safety and fortification standards through institutions like the Namibia Standards Institution (NSI) and the Ministry of Agriculture Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) demonstrates a strong foundation for building a resilient food system capable of regional competitiveness.
Bridging the Gaps Through Smart Agriculture
The gaps in Namibia’s food system lie largely in affordability, market access, and climate resilience. Smart agriculture, which integrates technology, data-driven farming, and sustainable production, provides an opportunity to address these weaknesses comprehensively.
Globally, nearly one-third of food produced is lost or wasted before reaching consumers. In Namibia, post-harvest losses, limited cold-chain infrastructure, and uncertain market linkages contribute to similar inefficiencies.
Smart agriculture can reverse this by enabling “plug-and-play” production models or “farm to fork” models that integrate digital monitoring, precision irrigation, and coordinated off-taker agreements.
These contracts, where buyers commit to purchasing crops even before planting, protect farmers from market volatility and guarantee a steady income while minimizing food waste.
Additionally, Namibia’s climate variability necessitates innovation in crop selection and farming methods. Technologies such as remote-sensing irrigation, greenhouse systems, and data-guided soil management are essential to increase yields and reduce vulnerability to drought.
Smart agriculture, therefore, not only enhances productivity but also strengthens the country’s ability to achieve food stability, the fourth and most fragile pillar of food security.
PS Investments: Driving Innovation in Namibia’s Food System
One of the most promising initiatives advancing these goals is PS Investments, a wholly Namibian-owned agribusiness committed to transforming national food security through technology-driven farming.
PS Investments focus primarily on strengthening two pillars: availability and access. The company’s strategy aligns with Namibia’s long-term vision of ensuring that every household can access affordable and nutritious food while simultaneously building employment opportunities across rural communities.
Recognising that unemployment and rural-urban migration remain critical socio-economic risks, PS Investments integrate local job creation into its operating model.
By equipping farm managers and youth with technical and agronomic skills, the company supports sustainable livelihoods and reduces dependency on urban economies.
Training programmes in smart farming, mechanisation, and data-based management ensure that operations are efficient, climate-resilient, and capable of delivering consistent output year-round.
The company aims to employ tissue culture techniques whilst contributing to ongoing local biotechnology research to develop crop varieties that are climate adaptive and pest resistant, an essential step in maintaining high yields under Namibia’s semi-arid conditions.
This biotechnology approach complements Namibia’s national food fortification and nutrition policies by improving both the quantity and quality of produce reaching markets.
Strategic Partnerships and Regional Impact
PS Investments have recently advanced significant partnerships aimed at scaling national food production capacity.
Notably, the company has entered a joint venture with the Namibian Correctional Service (NCS) and Eos Capital, the manager of the Euphrates Agri Fund, the only dedicated agriculture private equity fund in Namibia, serving as a technical partner for large-scale food production in Katima Mulilo in the Zambezi Region.
This collaboration strengthens regional self-sufficiency and establishes a scalable framework for replicable public private partnership models across Namibia.
The Zambezi project will focus on increasing high-value crop production using controlled-environment systems, ensuring year-round harvests with minimal water usage. Controlled environments, such as hydroponic and greenhouse systems, enable consistent yields regardless of weather fluctuations and are central to the smart agriculture model Namibia requires.
Beyond Katima Mulilo, PS Investments will be conducting feasibility studies in Nkurenkuru in Kavango, with the goal of establishing production hubs for high-value crops strategically located near Namibia’s second most populous regions.
These hubs will reduce logistical costs, shorten the supply chain, and enable direct market access for both domestic and regional distribution under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) trade framework.
The project aims to include the compliance standards that have been developed by the Namibia Agronomic Board in collaboration with GlobalGAP to ensure that local and international standards that are easily recognised can be met for retail market ease and preparation for export once surplus production targets are achieved.
The Path Forward
Namibia’s food security narrative is one of resilience and opportunity. The nation’s strong institutional base, from its food safety systems to its commitment to regional trade, provides a solid platform for innovation.
However, achieving lasting food security requires continued investment in climate-smart, technology-driven solutions that connect producers directly to markets.
Smart agriculture, as championed by PS Investments, embodies the shift from subsistence to sustainability, from producing food to producing opportunity. Addressing all four pillars of food security in tandem, namely, guaranteeing availability via production, securing access through affordability and efficient logistics, promoting utilization by providing safe and nutritious food, and maintaining stability through ongoing innovation, offers a comprehensive framework for advancing food security objectives. Namibia can transform its agricultural sector into a driver of inclusive growth and national resilience.
*Shange-Ndamona Mungoba is a Food Technologist and Food Systems and Management Specialist. She currently serves as the Agri-Projects Lead and Business Consultant at PS Investments and is completing a taught Master of Leadership and Change Management (MLCM) at the Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business, Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). Her thesis focuses on The Contribution of Technological Innovations to Agricultural Production in Namibia. She also serves as an advocate for food security and has served as an advocate for food security initiatives through the Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumna network.
