Image Source: Getty
Southern Africa is currently experiencing its worst drought in over a century, and Namibia lies at the heart of this crisis. With 84 percent of the country's food reserves exhausted, nearly 1.15 million people now face severe food insecurity. In response, the Namibian government has resorted to a desperate measure of culling over 700 wild animals to feed its people. While this measure may offer temporary relief, it does little to address the root causes of the crisis, while also raising ethical and ecological concerns.
The solution to Namibia’s predicament, however, may lie in an alternative path—South-South Cooperation. As we celebrate South-South Cooperation Day 2024, it is critical to use this issue to recognise the potential of collaboration amongst developing nations to offer sustainable, long-term solutions to pressing global challenges, such as building climate resilience and addressing food
The Namibian government has resorted to a desperate measure of culling over 700 wild animals to feed its people insecurity.
Namibia’s food crisis is largely a product of its geographical and environmental vulnerabilities, compounded by the accelerating effects of climate change. Approximately 70 percent of Namibia’s population relies on agriculture, predominantly subsistence farming, for their livelihoods. However, over the last decade, the country’s agricultural output has suffered due to erratic and insufficient rainfall.
Figure 1. Contribution of agriculture to Namibia’s GDP
Source: The Global Economy, 2023
In the last decade, Namibia has declared national food emergencies three times due to drought, which led to significant decline in crop and livestock production. However, the current drought is far worse than ones before, exacerbated by the return of the El Niño weather phenomenon in 2023, which brought scorching heat and reduced rainfall.
Figure 1. Map showing severe drought in Southern Africa
Source: Earth Observatory, NASA, 2024
The country has seen a 30 percent reduction in annual rainfall over the last decade, making agriculture increasingly unsustainable. It has been found that every one in five Namibians is considered food insecure. Out of which women and children below the ages of five are extremely vulnerable. Hence, the government’s decision to turn to its natural resources—its wildlife—reflects the desperate state of food insecurity in Namibia.
This decision, however, raises significant ethical and ecological concerns. From an ethical standpoint, the culling of wildlife raises questions about the humane treatment of animals and the usage of endangered species as a temporary solution to a human crisis. Ecologically, the loss of such a large number of animals threatens Namibia’s rich biodiversity. Culling key species destabilises the ecosystem, its functions and its allied services. Consequently, it weakens ecosystem resilience and reduces genetic diversity, leading to imbalances such as prey overpopulation and habitat degradation, which harm other species and disrupt environmental stability.
Furthermore, wildlife is a critical asset for Namibia’s tourism industry, which contributed approximately 12 percent to the country’s GDP in 2022. Hence, the degradation of these animal populations could deter tourists, resulting in significant economic losses.
From an ethical standpoint, the culling of wildlife raises questions about the humane treatment of animals and the usage of endangered species as a temporary solution to a human crisis.
Additionally, culling also presents health risks. The mass killing of animals may increase the potential for zoonotic diseases to spread from animals to humans, further straining the country’s already fragile healthcare system.
While the culling may provide short-term relief to starving populations, it fails to address the root causes of food insecurity and presents long-term dangers to Namibia’s biodiversity, tourism, and public health.
South-South Cooperation (SSC) presents a sustainable alternative to the current reliance on wildlife culling in Namibia, as well as other drought-affected Southern African nations. This works on the grounds of technical cooperation amongst Global South states, to collaborate and share knowledge, skills and successful initiatives to address global challenges, like the immediate food crisis, and to build resilience against future climate shocks. These partnerships can collectively tackle shared issues, providing Namibia with the tools and knowledge necessary for sustainable recovery.
South-South Cooperation (SSC) presents a sustainable alternative to the current reliance on wildlife culling in Namibia, as well as other drought-affected Southern African nations.
While SSC developed with the aim to challenge the traditional donor-recipient model of the Global North, power imbalances persist within the Global South itself. Inevitably, some countries do exert disproportionate influence over others, which dilutes the principle of equity in these partnerships. Additionally, SSC suffers from a lack of transparency and accountability, with incomplete and scattered project reporting across ministries. These are some issues that tend to weaken its effectiveness and limits SSC's potential as a legitimate and equitable development alternative.
As a leader of the Global South, India is in a favourable position to assist Namibia in addressing its crisis through its expertise in climate-resilient agriculture. India’s promotion of millet cultivation, a crop known for its low water requirements and high nutritional value, exemplifies its commitment to advancing ecologically informed food security.
By sharing best practices in climate-smart farming, such as rainwater harvesting and millet cultivation, India can help Namibia build resilience in drought-affected areas and enhance food security. However, there are challenges, which include China's growing influence in Africa and its expansive financing gameplay exemplified by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
To overcome these hurdles, India can possibly explore triangular cooperation, leveraging global north financing while also expanding its capacity-building efforts through initiatives like ‘Digital Skills for Africa and, pushing towards developing an ‘India-Africa Agriculture Innovation Corridor’.
By sharing best practices in climate-smart farming, such as rainwater harvesting and millet cultivation, India can help Namibia build resilience in drought-affected areas and enhance food security.
Lastly, India's leadership in multilateral platforms like BRICS, and IBSA, as well as its role in the G20, positions it to advocate for international cooperation on climate resilience. India's push for the inclusion of the African Union (AU) in the G20 enhances Africa’s global voice, allowing for coordinated efforts to address food security and climate challenges across the global south.
Namibia’s current food and climate crisis serves as a stark reminder of the growing vulnerabilities the Global South can face in the era of climate change. While SSC offers a powerful framework for collaboration, it faces challenges like geopolitical uncertainty.
India, as a leader of the Global South, has the potential to spearhead more effective partnerships by leveraging its expertise. However, India must also be mindful of potential pitfalls, such as the risk of perpetuating dependency through aid rather than fostering true capacity-building.
Furthermore, while SSC can indeed be revitalised to transform short-term crises into long-term opportunities, it must also confront and overcome inherent challenges in governance and implementation. Effective collective action, accountability, and solidarity are essential, yet often lacking. Therefore, while India's leadership and innovative approaches are crucial, they must be coupled with a concerted effort to ensure that SSC frameworks are inclusive, transparent, and genuinely transformative. Only through such comprehensive and critical engagement can SSC truly advance towards building a more resilient, secure, and equitable future for all.
Sharon Sarah Thawaney is the Executive Assistant to the Director at the Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata.
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
Sharon Sarah Thawaney is the Executive Assistant to the Director - ORF Kolkata and CNED, Dr. Nilanjan Ghosh. She holds a Master of Social Work ...
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