Namibia has culled 157 wild animals, delivering 56,875 kg of meat that has been distributed to the needy, amid a prolonged drought undermining food security, the government has announced.

The culled game is among the 723 animals that the government has authorised for slaughter with the meat being handed out to people after the southwestern African nation suffered its worst drought in a century.

In a release on August 26, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said that with cabinet approval it "is contributing game meat to support the drought relief programme by the government".

The ministry will contribute 723 animals (30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebras, 83 elephants and 100 elands, "sourced from national parks and communal areas with sustainable game numbers".

The UN said in July that 1.4mn Namibians, or 48% of the population, were experiencing "acute" food insecurity owing to the drought, which cut cereal production by 53%. The government declared the food shortage a disaster.

"All 14 regions of the country are impacted, largely because of El Niño dry conditions affecting crop and livestock production, inflation, economic decline, and unemployment. There has been a 53% decline in cereal production and a nearly 70% in dam water levels," said the UN on July 19.

Namibia said in the release that elephant numbers must be reduced to assist in reducing cases of human-wildlife conflict.  A day before announcing the cull, the government said in a statement, a 48-year-old man was killed by a herd of elephants west of the country.

"This offtake will assist in reducing the negative impact of drought on the conservation of wild animals in both our national parks and communal areas," it said.

"There is no doubt that drought is affecting most sectors conservation included. This will assist in managing the current grazing pressure and water availability by reducing wildlife numbers in some parks and communal areas where we feel numbers exceed available grazing and water."

The provision of meat, it added, will improve people's nutrition while contributing to poverty reduction.

"This exercise in necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens," the ministry noted.