CHAMWE KAIRA
The majority of generational farm workers employed on Namibia’s commercial farms already have homes away from the farms where they can live after retirement, according to the Agricultural Employers’ Association (AEA) 2026 survey.
The survey found that 46 employers reported employing 62 generational farm workers, representing about 2% of all employees on the farms surveyed.
A generational farm worker is defined by the ministry of agriculture, water and land reform as a worker who was born and raised on a farm and has worked there continuously for at least 30 years.
The AEA has been implementing a Farm Workers’ Project since 2019 following a resolution of the 2018 Land Conference aimed at improving the living conditions of farm workers. The project includes initiatives relating to generational farm workers and retirement planning.
Of the 62 generational farm workers identified in the 2026 survey, 59 have retirement homes away from the farms. This means about 95% already have a place to live after retirement.
The survey also found that 97 employers reported that 328 of their employees have a pension or savings plan for retirement, equivalent to 11% of the employees covered by the responses.
The AEA said farm workers would also benefit from the National Pension Fund once it is implemented.
The 2026 report introduced a new section assessing employers’ satisfaction with services provided by institutions relevant to farm operations and employee welfare.
Respondents rated services on a scale of one to five, ranging from highly dissatisfied to very satisfied, while six indicated that a service was not applicable to their farm.
The AEA/LWV office received the highest overall satisfaction rating, with 67.42% of respondents indicating that they were either satisfied or very satisfied.
The Social Security Commission (SSC) was the next strongest performer, with 61.56% of respondents reporting that they were satisfied or very satisfied with its services.
Satisfaction with the local ministry of labour offices was lower, with 27.69% of respondents indicating that they were satisfied or very satisfied, while 31.38% said the service was not applicable to their farms.
Local clinics received a combined satisfaction rating of 26.27%, while 32.66% of respondents were dissatisfied or highly dissatisfied.
Local hospitals recorded the weakest satisfaction levels among the institutions assessed. Only 11.8% of respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied, while 43.82% were dissatisfied or highly dissatisfied.
Local schools and hostels also recorded relatively low satisfaction levels, with 12.94% of respondents reporting that they were satisfied or very satisfied, compared with 31.76% who were dissatisfied or highly dissatisfied.
The AEA said the findings on local hospitals could be raised with relevant authorities on behalf of its members.
The survey provides an indication of the retirement preparedness of long-serving farm workers, as well as employers’ perceptions of services available to farming communities.
