A delegation of 20 representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) embarked on a visit to appreciate Meatco’s different processes and value chains on 24 October 2018.

The representatives from 15 various countries, who were hosted in Namibia for training on sustainable food systems to promote food systems approaches among FAO Staff, toured the Okapuka Feedlot and Meatco’s deboning section (Windhoek abattoir) in order to equip the trainees with innovative and systematic ways of addressing food-related challenges. Furthermore, the tour was aimed at assisting representatives to comprehend complex and adaptive food systems while increasing their understanding of how these systems influence each other and providing tools needed to measure, analyse and improve the performance of a food system holistically.

According to Quality Assurance Manager, Marchella Somaes, the visit provided a broad understanding of how Meatco contributes to value-addition through its production in the Cannery and Wholesale departments.

“The delegation communicated that in future the Organisation will be inviting Meatco employees to conduct presentations during their trainings of the FAO representatives in order to provide practical understanding,” Somaes added.

The visit, headed by David Neven, Senior Economist based at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, was also necessitated by the increasing rapid approach of food systems embraced by the international development community to address challenges in the supply of food as a whole.