President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has called on local farmers to strategise and start treating agriculture as a smart, sustainable and youth-driven sector that can secure food security and economic growth.
She made the remarks at the recent Agri-Outlook Conference in Windhoek, which was held under the theme ‘Harvesting the Future’.
Nandi-Ndaitwah said agriculture is at the centre of her administration’s development agenda, including in the sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) and the Swapo Party Manifesto Implementation Plan.
“Agriculture is directly linked to development. History shows that most countries in the world have developed through agricultural transformation. That is what we want to see in Namibia while also considering our climatic conditions,” she said.
She added that agriculture is not only one of the priority areas, but also one of the eight critical economic enablers for Namibia’s future.
“Our Founding President Sam Nujoma taught us that a nation that cannot feed itself cannot be respected,” said the President.
She reminded attendees that agriculture remains vital because it supports livelihoods, industrialisation, job creation and foreign exchange earnings.
About 70% of Namibians depend directly on farming activities – either livestock or crop production – for their income.
“Through agriculture, we are able to feed our people, support manufacturing and also export high-value products such as beef, grapes and vegetables,” she said.
The President acknowledged that the sector faces serious numerous challenges, including the impacts of climate change, soil degradation, changing consumer demands and a lack of investment.
She said that despite being the largest employer in Namibia, the agricultural workforce is ageing, as young Namibians are not showing enough interest in agriculture, even though the future of the sector depends on them.
“It is imperative that a conducive environment be created for agriculture through connectivity, creativity and access to finance for the sector to serve its purpose,” Nandi-Ndaitwah stressed.
The President highlighted government’s efforts to revive and support green schemes across the country.
Earlier this year, she visited green schemes in the Zambezi, Kavango East, Kavango West and Omusati regions.
She said she was encouraged by their potential to feed the nation, although challenges such as funding, infrastructure and technical support still need to be addressed.
“Yes, many challenges remain, and more support is needed for the Green Schemes to reach full production. However, the optimism in the sector is fuelling the potential for setting up industries through processing plants,” she said.
The President encouraged farmers and policymakers to embrace smart and sustainable agriculture by investing in agri-tech, adopting climate-resilient practices and building efficient value chains.
She said the future of farming should include smallholder farmers and women, ensuring that agriculture is inclusive.
The President praised the country’s four farmers’ unions – the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers Union, the Namibia National Farmers Union, the Previously Disadvantaged National Farmers Union and the Namibia Agricultural Union – for working together to organise the conference.
She said their collaboration shows the spirit of unity needed to transform the sector.
“The Agri-Outlook Conference brings together communal, emerging and commercial farmers as well as experts from Namibia and abroad. It is about sharing knowledge and finding ways to improve productivity and profitability so that farmers can contribute more to food security and the gross domestic product of our country,” she said.
The Agri-Outlook Conference focused on themes such as value addition, market access, technology, innovation and the role of young farmers.
– ljason@nepc.com.na