Traditional Namibian food should be part of everyday meals rather than being reserved for cultural events, professor Joseph Diescho says.
Diescho says Namibians need to change their attitude towards locally produced food if the country wants to strengthen its agricultural sector.
Diescho questions why Namibians often associate traditional food with special occasions instead of consuming it regularly.
“We reserve that which is ours, that which is originally ours, for special cultural events. And you want to develop your agriculture with that kind of mindset,” Diescho said during the Agriculture Investment Conference & Expo 2026 in Windhoek yesterday.
Diescho said Namibians should take pride in their traditional food and support local agricultural production by consuming what they produce.
“You go to Nigeria, you see the president eating with his hands fufu that the people produce. They consume what they produce, and they produce what they consume,” he said.
Diescho also criticised the way food is served at some official events in Namibia, saying guests are sometimes separated into different eating areas based on their appearance or status.
He said some guests are served potato salad on ceramic plates with knives and forks, while others are directed to areas where food is served in disposable containers.
“Where did we learn that when I look like this, I eat potato salad? When I look like that, I only eat traditional food?” he asked.
Diescho said such practices raise questions about how Namibians value their own food and cultural identity.
He said traditional agricultural knowledge, including knowing when to plant crops and how to preserve seeds for the next planting season, remains important for food security.
He added that agriculture goes beyond producing food and also contributes to clothing and other everyday needs.
|Khomanin special adviser to the gaos Walter |Haseb says traditional food should be preserved to prevent it from disappearing.
|Haseb says the consumption of traditional food, whether during special occasions or as part of everyday meals, depends on the circumstances.
“It depends. It must be kept so that it might not eventually extinguish,” he says.
The Nutrition and Food Security Alliance of Namibia (Nafsan) says traditional Namibian foods can provide the nutrients needed for a healthy diet and should be eaten regularly rather than reserved for cultural events.
Nasfan director Ben Schernick says many traditional foods are nutritious, minimally processed, and mostly free of artificial preservatives.
“Most of our traditional Namibian foods are highly nutritious and essential for a healthy diet,” he says.
Schernick says Namibians should place greater value on locally produced food.
Nasfan nutritionist Vanessa Negumbo says traditional foods can be healthier alternatives to heavily processed fast foods, which have become common in many households.
However, she says several challenges prevent Namibians from eating traditional foods regularly.
She says some traditional crops are grown for household consumption and are not widely available in shops.
“Unlike imported foods, which supermarkets stock throughout the year, many local traditional foods are difficult to find outside their growing seasons,” she says.
Nasfan says urbanisation has also made it harder for people living in towns to grow their own food because they have limited access to land.
Nasfan says in some rural households, foods such as rice and salads are instead reserved for special occasions, including weddings and Christmas celebrations.
Nasfan encourages Namibians to support local farmers and markets by buying traditional food products.
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