Agriculture in Namibia contributes around 5% of the national Gross Domestic Product though 25% to 40%
of Namibians depend on subsistence agriculture and herding. Primary products
included livestock and meat products, crop farming and forestry. Only 2% of Namibia's
land receives sufficient rainfall to grow crops. As all inland rivers are ephemeral, irrigation is only
possible in the valleys of the border rivers Oranje, Kunene, and Okavango.
As of 2010, the Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Forestry is John Mutorwa. The Ministry
operates a number of parastatals, including NamWater.
Although Namibian agriculture--excluding fishing--contributed between 5% and
6% of Namibia's GDP from 2004-2009, a large percentage of the Namibian
population depends on agricultural activities for livelihood, mostly in the
subsistence sector. Animal products, live animals, and crop exports constituted
roughly 10.7% of total Namibian exports. The government encourages local
sourcing of agriculture products. Retailers of fruits, vegetables, and other
crop products must purchase 27.5% of their stock from local farmers.
In the largely white-dominated commercial sector, agriculture
consists primarily of livestock ranching. There are about 4,000 commercial farms
in Namibia, 3,000 of which are owned by whites. Cattle raising is
predominant in the central and northern regions, while karakul sheep and goat farming are concentrated in the more arid
southern regions. Subsistence farming is mainly confined to the "communal lands"
of the country's populous north, where roaming cattle herds are prevalent and
the main crops are millet, sorghum, corn, and peanuts. Table grapes, grown mostly
along the Orange River in
the country's arid south, are becoming an increasingly important commercial crop
and a significant employer of seasonal labor.
The government's land reform policy is
shaped by two key pieces of legislation: the Agricultural (Commercial) Land
Reform Act 6 of 1995 and the Communal Land Reform Act 5 of 2002. The government
remains committed to a "willing seller, willing buyer" approach to land reform
and to providing just compensation as directed by the Namibian constitution. As
the government addresses the vital land and range management questions, water
use issues and availability are considered.
