Green schemes buckle under challenges

Lack of funding and marketing, bureaucratic delays and costly electricity are some of the major challenges that continue to threaten the sustainability of green schemes.This is according to a report by the parliamentary standing committee on agriculture, environment and natural resources subsequent to its follow-up visits to green scheme irrigation projects in the Kavango East and Kavango West regions.The visits took place from 30 August to 2 September and the report was tabled in the National Assembly this week.In 2020, the national council committee on urban and rural development visited the Shadikongoro, Ndonga Linena, Sikondo, Musese and Mashare green schemes.The follow-up visits were meant to assess progress at the green schemes since the last assessment.No progressThe committee found that the challenges observed in 2020 have not been resolved and continue to impede green-scheme production."Failures of green schemes are attributed to the type of business model in which they are currently operated, coupled with lack of financial support from the government.”Farm managers told the committee that green schemes performed well under direct government supervision, however, operations slowed down with the introduction of Agricultural Business Development Agency (Agribusdev) as a service provider."They further lamented Cabinet’s resolution to outsource fully developed green schemes to private entities. The issue of leasing green schemes left a dark cloud of uncertainty hovering over farm managers and staff who were left pondering what would happen to them as there were no consultations".FindingsAt the Shadikongoro Green Scheme, a total of 390 hectares were declared suitable for production - 300 for commercial farming and 90 for small-scale farmers.The main crops grown at the scheme are white maize, wheat and sunflowers.However, at the time of the visit by the committee, only 90 hectares of wheat were planted for commercial purposes, and 16.7 hectares were planted by small-scale farmers, "further signifying the underutilisation of green schemes in the country".AMTA ‘not doing enough’The committee was informed that the high cost of electricity remains a challenge and bureaucratic processes in the procurement of farming inputs delay production.Farmers also said marketing vegetables is challenging due to the distance to the nearest markets."Agro-Marketing and Trade Agency [AMTA] is not doing enough in terms of buying from the project, and if they do, they buy in small quantities, resulting in perishable produce going to waste in the warehouse."Ndonga LinenaNdonga Linena has a total area of 1 000 hectares, with 678 hectares under irrigation.This includes 427 hectares of commercial land for production, 174 hectares for small-scale farmers, and 80 hectares for medium-scale farmers.However, the farm was at a standstill during the committees visit. No production had taken place for four years due to limited or no funds received from government, coupled with the malfunction of the pump station.Sikondo Green SchemeAt the time the committee visited Sikongo, 110 hectares of wheat were planted and were due to be harvested at the beginning of October.Crops of onions, tomatoes and cabbage were also grown to ensure cash flow.High electricity charges, late delivery of farming inputs and lack of market access were listed as challenges.Mashare Green SchemeMashare is privately managed and was in full production.It exports 95% of its blueberries to Europe, the Middle East and India, and the other 5% to local markets.The project employs about 500 to 700 female employees as seasonal blueberry pickers.Musese Green SchemeAt Musese, 530 of 650 hectares of centre pivots were under production during the past two seasons.The challenges cited included market access and electricity costs.The committee made several recommendations, including installing solar power plants, boosting funds, relaxing procurement requirements and decentralising green schemes to regional councils.

Green schemes buckle under challenges

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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Green schemes buckle under challenges

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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