The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Capricorn Foundation and the University of Namibia (UNAM), recently conducted a three-day transformative hands-on training on value addition in the Hardap Region of Namibia.

The training brought together 45 participants, including youth and women from farmsteads in Stampriet, Schlip, Bernafay, and Maltahöhe, who acquired new skills in food preservation and processing. The  smallholder farmers converted locally grown food such as carrots, tomatoes, and beetroot into value-added products such as carrot juice, beetroot juice, pickled beetroot, vacuum-packed sliced carrots, and tomato paste. 

"Growing food for everyday consumption is a necessity, but we need to look beyond the everyday,” said Tiwonge Machiwenyika, WFP Country Director Officer in Charge (OIC).  “Value addition is essential to ensure that the production of food not only enables consumption but also enables farmers to create sustainable livelihoods from the food they produce.” 

Themed “Promoting Nutrition-Sensitive and Sustainable Food Processing through Value Addition to Reduce Post-Harvest Loss and Food Waste,” the training aimed to enhance farmers capacity to increase and diversify their incomes while connecting them to market actors. Participants received value addition equipment, such as solar dryers and agricultural input to boost on-farm productivity and the usage of skills in a sustainable way. 

WFP and Capricorn Foundation have partnered since 2022 on ensuring food and nutrition security through reducing food waste and improving the nutritional value of food.

“Food loss and waste as well as the inadequate access to food, resulting in malnutrition, remains a great concern in Namibia,” said Marlize Horn, Executive Officer of the Capricorn Foundation. These are challenges that the Capricorn Foundation aims to address alongside like-minded organisations and as connectors of positive change, we are proud of our partnership with the World Food Programme.” 

The training is part of a larger effort by WFP and UNAM, which has reached over 600 smallholder famers from Zambezi, Oshana, and Oshikoto regions in 2023 with value addition and food preservation training. During this intake, participants were capacitated by GS1 Namibia on food safety, market access and product commercialization strategies, including branding, barcoding, and market research.

“At the University of Namibia, we are deeply committed to empowering our communities with practical skills that foster food security, self-reliance and drive social progress,” said Prof. Kenneth Matengu, Vice Chancellor at UNAM. “This training exemplifies the kind of impact and value we can offer our communities when academic knowledge is paired with strategic partnerships.”    

This multi-stakeholder collaborative effort represents WFP’s ongoing commitment to improving food systems value chains in Namibia, contributing to improved lives, livelihoods, skills development, and national food security.