Agriculture

Hanks Saisai The recent outbreak of Fall Armyworms across Namibia’s north-eastern Zambezi region poses a significant threat to local food security.  Pest outbreaks are usually a crop farmer’s worst nightmare due to the associated negative effects such as crop failure, financial losses, food shortages and dwindling local economic activities in such regions. Several factors must...

Many times, I am confronted by the age-old question of whether there is really much money in farming. Most importantly, should one quit a job to start farming?  Well, my philosophy has always been “Don’t quit your job to start a business, start a business to quit your job…”  But then again, each situation is...

Rudolf Gaiseb Namibia is still grappling with a funding shortfall of about N$600 million to fully and timeously aid more than 1.26 million drought-stricken citizens from a looming hunger crisis, Deputy Prime Minister John Mutorwa recently shared.  Mutorwa, while receiving a donation of 500 boxes of frozen butter snoek from the National Fishing Corporation of...

There was an improved uptake in the number of pigs at various local abattoirs countrywide, which saw the country slaughtering over 5 000 pigs during December last year, the latest Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPBN) market report shows.  This marks an annual increase of 23.31% when compared to the figures recorded in...

Last week, we touched on the growing importance of securing a reliable and profitable market for your animals, and why it is crucial for farmers to not only produce animals of good quality, but also animals which meet the health standards of the various markets.  Today, I thought it is equally important to further that...

For most Namibians, the country’s land reform and resettlement programme has been one of the transformative upshots and has created new opportunities for those who previously struggled to access land.  For farmers Teofe and Edwig Karipi, who are beneficiaries of the government’s land resettlement programme, the journey has been one of transformation, challenges, and hope...

As we embark upon the journey of planning, realigning and reinventing our ways of farming in this new and promising year, it is important to remind farmers not to ignore the importance of securing a suitable, reliable and profitable market for their animals.  When all is said and done and all the hard work has...

REHOBOTH – Making fruits and vegetables as affordable as possible to the community and ensuring needy families don’t go to bed hungry, as well as creating employment opportunities for the youth, are some of the driving factors keeping the Oanob Hotsprings Garden in Rehoboth flourishing.  Unlike many privatel-owned gardens, the Oanob Hotsprings Garden is community-focused,...

Erastus Ngaruka A good rainy season should be perceived as one that starts in time as anticipated, is well distributed throughout the season, and ultimately rehydrates the soil, refills water sources, and revegetates the rangeland. However, of recent, rainfall activities are conspicuously erratic, and their effects can be a concern. To this end, although rainfall...