Farmers diversify production systems

Namibia’s farming communities should diversify their production systems and adapt to climate change.Pohamba Shifeta, environment minister, said this recently at the handover of the Otjimboyo Resilience Horticultural Project in the Otjimboyo Conservancy of the Erongo Region.The Otjimboyo horticultural project was funded to the cost of N$1.7 million under the Climate Resilient Agriculture investment window under the Empower to Adapt (EDA) project, which is centred around creating climate change resilient livelihoods through community-based natural resource management in Namibia (CBNRM EDA Project)."Small farmers have the potential to contribute significantly to national food security as well as the national economic growth of this country," Shifeta said.Business mindedHe said that it is in the country’s best interest to foster conservation of natural resources through a community-based natural resource management system as established by the ministry.Shifeta said for the economy to blossom, they have to invest in small- and medium-scale producers to mobilise them to stop producing for their immediate family needs alone, but to adopt a business-like attitude to production, and to view their activities as commercial in order to substantially increase their earnings and improve their livelihoods."If this can be achieved, we shall have begun to seriously address the problem of hunger, malnutrition, poverty and food shortages in general."Shifeta said while the project was successfully implemented, it is important that the nation gauges the issue of market access for horticultural production, environmental sustainability and social economic development.Avoid handoutsTheofelius Iyambo Naruseb, chairperson of the Otjimboyo Conservancy, said the project was set up to address food security and to avoid depending on handouts from the government."Because this is a community project and community members must benefit, I am proud to say that we have shared fresh produce from the garden with the elderly as a way of ensuring that our members derive from the benefits of their project."Benedict Libanda, CEO of the Environmental Investment Fund, said the fund is extremely proud of the work they are seeing and that this commitment to the success of the project will go a long way to serving as an example to others.He said the fund will further engage its developmental partners to see that projects of this magnitude can be expanded because resilience and improved food security can greatly improve the lives of communities.Bumper resultsThe project under implementation by the Otjimboyo Conservancy is aimed at strengthening the adaptive capacity and climate change resilience of communities in the conservancy by improving water and food security of the vulnerable communities.The project has a functional solar hydroponic system that has been successfully established with a 76 000-litre dam on site.In addition, the project has established a fertigation room, office space, a storeroom, and ablution facilities on site.The project site is electrically fenced off to deter elephant destruction, with 0.7 hectares of greenhouse under cultivation.The project recorded its bumper harvest early this year and distributed its first harvest to the senior citizens in the conservancy. The project has also successfully retrofitted a diesel-pump borehole into a solar-powered pump for the village.

Farmers diversify production systems

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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Farmers diversify production systems

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-07

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