After a prolonged hiatus, please allow me to welcome you all back to this highly informative and engaging platform, where we share notes and expertise on the various diseases and the latest developments in the world of animal health. Today, we will be touching on the highly infectious lumpy skin disease, which has raged local...
As the effects of climate change take course on farming, the farmer is left with difficult choices to make and does not have much time. Despite the obvious effects of climate change such as prolonged droughts, pests and diseases also seem to take advantage of the drastic changes in weather patterns. In fact, volatile weather...
Following the outbreak of the contagious Lumpy Skin disease in over nine regions, government, through the Directorate of Veterinary Services (DVS), has since moved with great speed to vaccinate over 29 000 cattle. Despite the ongoing efforts to immunise affected cattle as wide as possible, more than 443 cattle have died from the disease since...
A good rainy season should be perceived as starting at the anticipated time. It should be well-distributed throughout the season, and ultimately rehydrates the soil, refills water sources and revegetates the rangeland. However, recent rainfall activities have been conspicuously erratic. Their effects are a huge concern to farmers. Although rainfall brings relief to farmers, it...
Namibia’s agricultural sector is set to make history by harvesting its first-ever locally-grown bananas in the months of June, July and August this year, which will mark a huge turnaround for the country’s import-dependent sector. As it currently stands, Namibia imports close to 7 000 tonnes of bananas valued at over N$65 million annually from...
OKANDJIRA – In 2017, young farmer Tjivii Tjombe was faced with two options – to quit his job and vigorously pursue his love for farming, or sit back and watch his dream and passion for farming die a natural death. It was not an easy decision, as he was faced with the frightening reality of...
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...