Editing Economy of Namibia (section)

===Agriculture===
{{Main|Agriculture in Namibia}}
[[File:Rotational grazing camp for livestock in Central Thornveld Namibia.png|thumb|Grazing camp for livestock in the Central Thornveld of Namibia]]
[[File:Heaps of chipped woody biomass in Namibia.jpg|thumb|Chipped woody biomass in Namibia for thermal energy applications]]
[[File:Charcoal Packaging - Namibia.jpg|thumb|Packaging of export charcoal produced from [[Woody plant encroachment|encroacher bush]]]]
About half of the population depends on agriculture (largely [[subsistence agriculture]]) for its livelihood, but Namibia must still import some of its food. Although per capita GDP is five times the per capita GDP of Africa's poorest countries, the majority of Namibia's people live in rural areas and exist on a subsistence way of life. Namibia has one of the [[List of countries by income equality|highest rates of income inequality]] in the world, due in part to the fact that there is an urban economy and a more rural cash-less economy. The inequality figures thus take into account people who do not actually rely on the formal economy for their survival. Although arable land accounts for only 1% of Namibia, nearly half of the population is employed in agriculture.<ref name="World Almanac 2004">World Almanac. 2004.</ref>

About 4,000, mostly white, commercial farmers own almost half of Namibia's arable land.<ref>LaFraniere, Sharon (25 December 2004) [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/25/international/africa/25namibia.html Tensions Simmer as Namibia Divides Its Farmland"], ''The New York Times''</ref> Agreement has been reached on the [[privatisation]] of several more enterprises in coming years, with hopes that this will stimulate much needed foreign investment. However, reinvestment of environmentally derived capital has hobbled Namibian per capita income.<ref name="Lange">{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s10640-004-4045-z|last=Lange |first=Glenn-Marie|title= Wealth, Natural Capital, and Sustainable Development: Contrasting Examples from Botswana and Namibia|journal= Environmental & Resource Economics|year=2004|volume=29 |issue =3|pages=257–83|bibcode=2004EnREc..29..257L |s2cid=155085174}}
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One of the fastest growing areas of economic development in Namibia is the growth of [[Communal Wildlife Conservancies in Namibia|wildlife conservancies]]. These conservancies are particularly important to the rural generally unemployed population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Devil’s Claw brings financial relief to communities in Omaheke conservancies {{!}} NACSO |url=https://www.nacso.org.na/news/2021/08/devils-claw-brings-financial-relief-to-communities-in-omaheke-conservancies |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=www.nacso.org.na}}</ref>

Agriculture is increasingly under pressure, due to factors such as frequent and prolonged [[drought]]s as well as [[woody plant encroachment]]. These render conventional agriculture unsustainable for a growing number of land owners, with many diverting their economic activities to alternative of additional sources of income.<ref>{{Cite web |last=New Era |title=Bush encroachment wrecks 45 million hectares |url=https://neweralive.na/posts/bush-encroachment-wrecks-45-million-hectares |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=Truth, for its own sake. |date=15 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

In recent years, the utilisation of residual biomass that results from the control of [[woody plant encroachment]] has gained traction.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biomass sector will grow significantly over the next years – Mungunda {{!}} Namibia Economist |url=https://economist.com.na/46408/environment/biomass-sector-will-grow-significantly-over-the-next-years-mungunda/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In 2022, Namibia was the seventh largest exporter of charcoal globally, with total export volumes of over 280,000 tonnes and revenues of USD 75 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trade Map - List of exporters for the selected product in 2022 (Wood charcoal, incl. shell or nut charcoal, whether or not agglomerated (excl. wood charcoal ...) |url=https://www.trademap.org/(X(1)S(qklogl45sbkpqs45vtsq1sy5))/Country_SelProduct.aspx?nvpm=1%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C4402%7C%7C%7C4%7C1%7C1%7C2%7C1%7C%7C2%7C1%7C1%7C1&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=www.trademap.org}}</ref> Other products from local encroacher biomass include bush-based animal fodder,<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-06-09|title=Bush-based animal feed viable for farming - DAS|work=New Era|url=https://neweralive.na/posts/bush-based-animal-feed-viable-for-farming-das|access-date=2020-06-14}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last1=Mupangwa |first1=Johnfisher |title=Utilising Encroacher Bush in Animal Feeding |date=2023 |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-99-2427-1_14 |work=Towards Sustainable Food Production in Africa |pages=239–265 |editor-last=Fanadzo |editor-first=Morris |access-date=2023-10-21 |place=Singapore |publisher=Springer Nature Singapore |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-981-99-2427-1_14 |isbn=978-981-99-2426-4 |last2=Lutaaya |first2=Emmanuel |last3=Shipandeni |first3=Maria Ndakula Tautiko |last4=Kahumba |first4=Absalom |last5=Charamba |first5=Vonai |last6=Shiningavamwe |first6=Katrina Lugambo |editor2-last=Dunjana |editor2-first=Nothando |editor3-last=Mupambwa |editor3-first=Hupenyu Allan |editor4-last=Dube |editor4-first=Ernest|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Wood–plastic composite|wood-plastic composite]] materials,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acacia-Composites {{!}} WPC {{!}} Decking {{!}} Made in Namibia {{!}} South Africa {{!}} Europe {{!}} Windhoek |url=https://www.acacia-composites.com.na/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=Acacia-Composites |language=en}}</ref> thermal energy in a cement factory<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ohorongo Cement: Fuel |url=https://www.ohorongo-cement.com/enviro/category/fuel |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=Ohorongo Cement |language=English}}</ref> and a brewery<ref>{{Cite web |title=The brewery using bush biomass |url=https://akzente.giz.de/en/brewery-using-bush-biomass |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=akzente |language=en}}</ref> and biochar.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} In 2019 it was estimated that 10,000 workers were employed in the growing sub-sector of biomass utilisation, rendering it one of the biggest sub-sectors in terms of employment.<ref>{{Cite news|date=August 2019|title=Charcoal industry now employs some 10 000 workers|work=New Era|url=https://neweralive.na/posts/charcoal-industry-now-employs-some-10-000-workers|access-date=2020-06-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-08-12|title=Biomass sector will grow significantly over the next years – Mungunda|work=Namibia Economist|url=https://economist.com.na/46408/environment/biomass-sector-will-grow-significantly-over-the-next-years-mungunda/|access-date=2020-06-14}}</ref>

====Fishing====
[[File:Celebrating 20 Years at Port Hercule (05110030) (44657164994).jpg|thumb|Workers on a governmental marine research vessel in Namibia]]
The clean, cold South [[Atlantic]] waters off the coast of Namibia are home to some of the richest fishing grounds in the world, with the ''potential'' for sustainable yields of 1.5&nbsp;million [[tonne]]s per year. Commercial fishing and fish processing is the fastest-growing sector of the Namibian economy in terms of employment, export earnings, and contribution to GDP.<ref>{{Cite book |author1=Blessing Chiripanhura |author2=Mogos Teweldemedhin |title=An Analysis of the Fishing Industry in Namibia: The Structure, Performance, Challenges, and Prospects for Growth and Diversification |publisher=African Growth and Development Policy |year=2016 |location=Namibia |pages=17–18 |language=en |url=https://www.ifpri.org/publication/analysis-fishing-industry-namibia-structure-performance-challenges-and-prospects-growth |access-date=9 November 2023}}</ref>

The main species found in abundance off Namibia are pilchards ([[sardine]]s), [[anchovy]], [[hake]], and [[horse mackerel]]. There also are smaller but significant quantities of sole, squid, deep-sea crab, rock lobster, and tuna.<ref>{{cite web |title=Marine life in Namibia |url=https://namibian.org/nature/marine-life/ |website=namibian.org |publisher=Namibia Safari2go |access-date=26 October 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
At the time of independence, [[Fish stocks|fish stock]]s had fallen to dangerously low levels, due to the lack of protection and conservation of the [[fisheries]] and the [[over-exploitation]] of these resources. This trend appears to have been halted and reversed since independence, as the Namibian Government is now pursuing a conservative resource management policy along with an aggressive fisheries enforcement campaign.  The government seeks to develop fish-farming as an alternative and has prioritised it as part of Vision 2030 and NDP2.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mfmr.gov.na/documents/411764/436209/Aquaculture+Strategic+Plan.pdf/df025d1d-bc11-9831-5b49-cb11fe249d89?version=1.0&download=true|title=Namibia's Aquaculture Strategic Plan|date=May 2004|access-date=28 February 2023}}</ref>

On 12 November 2019, [[WikiLeaks]] published thousands of documents and email communication by [[Samherji|Samherji's]] employees, called the [[Fishrot Files]], that indicated  hundreds of millions [[ISK]] had been paid to high ranking politicians and officials in [[Namibia]] with the objective of acquiring the country's coveted fishing quota.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Helgi Seljan |author2=Aðalsteinn Kjartansson |author3=Stefán Aðalsteinn Drengsson |title=What Samherji wanted hidden |url=https://www.ruv.is/kveikur/fishrot/ |access-date=13 November 2019 |work=[[RÚV]] |language=is}}</ref>