Farmer’s Forum journalist Kuzeeko Tjitemisa (KT) this week caught up with Zaapi Mungendje (ZM) to get more insight on the newly launched romukongo.com website:
KT: Zaapi, in brief, what is romukongo.com?
ZM: romukongo.com is a farming/agricultural community website, where farmers can access information on different types of farming, receive industry insights, exchange ideas with other farmers, get expert support, and showcase/sell their animals, agricultural produce and farming-related items.
With phase one fully completed in Otjiherero, the idea is to have romukongo.com developed in as many local languages as possible over the next 5 years.
KT: What prompted you to start romukongo.com and why in local languages?
ZM: Well, The livelihood of many Namibians depend on agricultural activities and farmers are faced with inevitable challenges such as drought, animal diseases, pests etc. These are challenges farmers can work around and overcome, provided they have access to the right information, knowledge and support. Now, imagine having the keys to the successful production of your livelihood locked away deep in a language (English) where you would need a translator to access them.
In this day and age, information is key; unfortunately, most, if not all information and new ideas that should bring about transformation to help farmers perform better are produced in English, and this is the reason why I decided to come up with this user-friendly website for our people in their own languages.
KT: What will farmers
learn from romukongo.com?
ZM: Farmers will learn a lot from the website – be it cattle, sheep, goat, pigs, horse, and crop production – they can get into the how-tos of farming, feeds mixing, vaccination of animal, tackling diseases and a lot more.
At the same time, the website is interactive; farmers can post questions and get professional responses from experts in the field and fellow farmers.
Farmers will also be able to receive the latest industry insights, news and information on where to sell their animals, where prices are good and also agricultural produce and farming-related items and goods.
Other benefits include getting support from other farmers by interacting with them, having access to VET support and getting exclusive discounts and offers on farming-related products.
KT: Why should one opt for romukongo.com while they can get farming information on google?
ZM: romukongo.com has information on farming that is specific to Namibia and will deliver information that Namibian farmers can relate to.
We also have our in-house Namibian agricultural experts, including veterinarian and lecturer in the agricultural sector Dr Baby Kaurivi.
KT: Any additional information?
ZM: romukongo.com, through information, technology and innovation, strives to bring about a transformation that will enable farmers to perform better, improve their livelihood and play an even bigger role in the development of our economy – and what better way to achieve that than to eliminate the language barrier that stands between the farmer and successful production. I am, therefore, inviting industry experts, stakeholders and individuals with a keen interest in uplifting and supporting our farmers to come on board and walk this exciting journey with us. They can contact us through the website: www.romukongo.com.