By Anna Ingwafa
ETUNDA
Current global concerns about food shortages compounded by high food prices and a poorly performing global economy is nothing to be ignored and Namibia is no exception.
The Etunda Irrigation Scheme near Ruacana in the Omusati region is a beacon of hope for the unstable food security in Namibia.
The full-scale production of fruit and vegetables at Etunda Irrigation Project, once realised, has the potential to feed the whole nation and cut on unnecessary food imports.
The scheme started with 15 people on a 150-hectare piece of land in 1993 under the Namibia Development Corporation (NDC) that was executing Government projects then.
It has contributed significantly to the reduction of unemployment as the scheme now employs close to 150 full-time workers and about 300 casual workers are brought in at harvest time.
It covers 600 hectares of land, half of which is divided among 96 small-scale farmers. Each plot is at least 5 hectares. The farmers grow cotton, chillies, groundnuts, cabbages, onions, maize, watermelons, sweet potatoes, butternuts and green pepper on a rotational basis.
The remaining 300 hectares are under commercial production managed by the Government under the Ministry of Agriculture Water and Forestry.
The scheme produces more than 2?