NNFU Core Values

NNFU is guided by the following core values;

• Increase food production for household food security
• Enhance marketing of farming products to increase household incomes
• Increase participation and recognition of women in farming
• Contribute to environmental protection and sustainable utilization of natural resources
• Monitoring, evaluation and policy research
• Broaden active membership and affiliation base
• Information sharing and dissemination

NNFU Key Program Areas

• Policy Education and Advocacy

  
  Through its Policy Education and Advocacy Unit, NNFU promotes active participation of farmers in the design of a conducive and enabling policy environment and the implementation of national agricultural policies, laws, programs, projects and activities

• Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building

  
  The capacity strengthening is targeted at RFUs, and local and emerging farmers associations to develop practical and implementable Annual Business Plans, programs implementation and monitoring and evaluation systems, governance and leadership training and on-going mentorship.

• Business Advisory and Trade Links

  
  The unit focuses on providing market intelligence services including information and advice on the dynamics of the economy and the forces that determine prices, supply and demand for agricultural products in the country. The aim is to equip farmers with information and knowledge in order to assist them to make better choices and decisions.

• HIV/AIDS Food Security

  
  The unit aims at tackling the impact of HIV/AIDS on the agricultural sector through the use of a novel methodology called Community Capacity Enhancement (CCE). The Namibia National Farmers Union (NNFU) have realized the negative impact of HIV and AIDS on the communal famers. The HIV and AIDS challenge has had negative effects of deviating the focus of the rural farmers from that of tilling the soil and engaging in livestock production to taking care of the sick and in most of the time spending days mourning the lost beloved ones. Such shifts in participation in production have reduced and slowed down yield production. NNFU as an organization has become very conscious of the fact that, farmers can live longer and sustain food production at household level if they have access to health care services such as Anti-Retroviral Viral Drugs and treatment, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) services and clinics in order to manage any opportunistic infections.
  
  Community Capacity Enhancement has been adopted as an integral methodology to stimulate dialogue and solicit opinions on managing and controlling the impact of HIV/AIDS in the agricultural sector in the federation. Community Conversations (CC) are conducted as a methodology for mobilizing communities for action around HIV and AIDS. As a methodology, it is built on trust, accountability and participation. It is based on a vision and recognition that communities have the capacity to prevent, care, change and sustain hope in the midst of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. It is an approach that has as its foundation, the creation of safe, interactive spaces for facilitated conversations, reflections and applications based on relationships of trust and mutual respect. By bringing together men, women and different generations, this approach allows different perspectives of the epidemic to be heard and taken into account when decisions are made. This SP recognizes the fact that most HIV/AIDS programs in Namibia have largely been donor funded. As Namibia is now considered upper middle income country, donors are beginning to pull out and close shop in the country. This leaves a huge programming gap that the union has to proactively fill

• Monitoring, Evaluation and Policy Research Unit

  
  This unit is currently not part of the NNFU setup but it is proposed to be integrated into the NNFU setup in order to support the union at all levels. Among other things, the unit is expected to play a key role in programs monitoring and in facilitating reporting and accountability. This function should provide support to the livestock and business advisory and trade links unit, the policy and education unit and the HIV/AIDS and food security unit. The unit will provide policy research and advisory support to the policy education unit as well as providing specialized market intelligence and policy analysis to support and inform NNFU policy and advocacy functions.
  This specialized support is needed by management and secondly by EXCO in engaging with external stakeholders on matters of policy dialogue and debate. Thirdly this support is needed to inform and guide NNFU board members and other representatives of NNFU sitting on various statutory bodies as part and parcel of their caucus on various issues before going to meetings and consultations as stipulated in the NNFU Advocacy and Lobby strategy. Lastly the research unit will provide support to the RFUs and FAs in the monitoring and reporting of their functions and activities. This will not only support and facilitate reporting but is crucial for accountability purposes. It will also coordinate and implement special evaluations and research projects as mandated by the secretariat and management.

Within the NNFU, the EXCO provides overall oversight and governance and the Secretariat headed by the ED provides central support and administrative support. The governing bodies are The National Congress (NC), The National Council and the EXCO.