Sawi Hausiku

KATJINAKATJI – At Katjinakatji Combined School in the Kavango West region, a small garden behind the classrooms is slowly becoming more than just a patch of cultivated land.

The garden has become a practical learning space where learners are gaining firsthand agricultural experience while reinforcing what they learn in class. Agricultural science teacher Jopa Uoruunda said the school garden is proving to be a valuable learning environment that exposes learners to practical agricultural skills.

When the Namibia Press Agency (Nampa) visited the school’s garden, Grade 11 and 12 learners were busy planting tomatoes, onions and green peppers in well-made seedbeds. 

“It is here where our learners gain hands-on experience in planting, maintaining and harvesting crops,” Uoruunda said. The garden, which was revived in 2019, had not been actively used to grow crops, he said as he took this reporter through the activities in the garden, where the learners were transplanting crops into prepared seedbeds. 

The seedlings were purchased from a local farmer.

“We are busy doing practicals for grades 11 and 12 learners as part of their exams, as they are required to complete another paper in agricultural science,” he said. 

The school is also hoping to plant spinach once the farmer’s seedlings are ready.

Apart from planting crops, learners are also conducting investigations to compare the effectiveness of different fertilisers, including organic and inorganic types, to determine which produces higher-quality products, Uoruunda said.

He noted that learners appear to enjoy outdoor learning more, something he believes strengthens their understanding of agricultural concepts. 

The garden also contains maize planted by Grade 9 learners last year.

This initiative helps bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical application.

“Through gardening activities, learners can better understand subjects such as agriculture and environmental studies while developing a deeper appreciation for food production,” he said.

Uoruunda added that he prefers exposing learners to the outside world rather than having them spend all their time in the classroom.

“This type of teaching prepares learners for life in case they perhaps do not make it in the corporate world,” he said.

The main aim of the garden, he noted, is to eventually produce enough food to supply vegetables to the school’s hostel, which houses about 472 learners.

However, the project is not without its challenges.

Uoruunda said the garden is affected by salty water, which affects crop growth.

Although August 26 Holdings drilled two boreholes at the school, the garden still lacks essential resources, including water tanks, drip irrigation pipes, fertilisers, net shades and seeds due to limited funding.

For learners, the garden represents more than just a school project.

Grade 12 learner Frans Thiremo said he is currently learning about crop production and food security, adding that his dream is to one day establish his own green scheme to grow vegetables for the community and retail outlets.

Another Grade 12 learner, Elizabeth Thitana, echoed similar sentiments, saying the purpose of the school garden is to supply vegetables to the hostel and improve the nutritional value of meals for learners.

School gardening initiatives in Namibia form part of broader national development efforts, including the Harambee Prosperity Plan, the National Development Plans and the National School Feeding Policy.

The Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth Sport, Arts and Culture promotes school gardening as a practical learning tool within agriculture subjects to encourage a culture of crop farming among learners. 

-Nampa