Charles Tjatindi
In June 2020, four farmers came together to devise strategies on how they could cushion the challenges facing start-up communal farmers and allow agribusinesses in communal areas to thrive.
This encounter led to the formation of the Action for Developing Local Agripreneurs Namibia (DeLA Namibia), a non-profit agricultural organisation that incubates new farming strategies and solutions for small and emerging rural agripreneurs operating in the northern regions of Namibia.
Its founders include the current director Otuvalumenhu Tulipohamba Kaanduka, Aron Hangula, Helena Leonard and Anna Hamundjebo.
Kaanduka told AgriToday they noted with concern that rural communities are willing to engage in agricultural activities to generate income, but are faced with limited resources and information on how to grow their agribusinesses.
He said amongst the most pressing needs for such farmers has been constant mentoring and training by professionals from universities and training institutions, general support from individuals, the business community, and financial support from financial institutions and the government.
“With greater love and passion for agriculture and having gone through so many challenges trying to break through to a profitable and sustainable agribusiness – mainly piggery farming and sunflower cultivation for over seven years – I thought to myself ‘someone must do something, because nothing has been done’,” said Kaanduka.
“I decided to consult and organise others who are challenged in the same or similar way and/or goal-oriented to change the odds in the agricultural sector. It is not only us who are challenged, but thousands of young agripreneurs in the country are in dire need of support and will prosper through DeLa.”
Kaanduka said while efforts to support SMEs are often put in place by government and other non-governmental organisations, most information does, however, not reach the aspiring agripreneurs. And even when it does, they still struggle to apply to benefit from these initiatives due to several conditions that are normally attached to these facilities and their channel of communication.
“The youths are not lazy; they need to be motivated. The media community which may help to identify and expose these agripreneurs is doing little or perhaps is so much occupied as it has other obligations to have each and every agripreneur covered. Thus, DeLA Namibia came into existence to assist in filling the gap by advocating for their needs,” he said.
The organisation facilitated training for smallholder pig farmers on pig production in 2022, which saw communities taking pig farming more seriously and also led to a rise in the value of pork and live pigs and piglets.
As part of its mission, the organisation will continue seeking to identify unnoticed and unrecognised developing and small rural agripreneurs, and expose them to potential mentors, customers, investors and donors for support, empowering them to maximise revenue.
It also aims to help young rural agripreneurs become more enterprising by helping them tap fully into agriculture so they can feed the nation and generate sufficient income to provide job opportunities for themselves and fellow unemployed Namibians, thus changing lives and livelihoods.
“Since our organisation is new and funded only by the founders with generous support from members of our community and business people, your generous support in any way will help us help small and emerging agripreneurs in rural Namibia to feed our communities and create employment,” said Kaanduka.