EZORONGONDO – Farmers at Ezorongondo in the Epukiro constituency of Omaheke region on Friday held a farmer’s information day at their village to discuss issues related to animal feed, vaccines and the maintenance of livestock during drought.
The farmer’s day, held for the second time in two years, attracted farmers from nearby villages like Okanguindi and Okajombo who showed interest in learning from the experts.
Speaking at the event, the technical advisor for communal areas at Feedmaster, Frank Kanguatjivi urged farmers to take drastic measures in improving their water supply as this, according to him, also contributes to losing more livestock during drought.
“We tend to react very late and we do not make informed decisions much earlier, thus an event such as this in the beginning of the year is very important to awaken farmers. We can see that going forward, it is not going to be easy, so let us start planning and find ways that will take us through.
“The objective of this information day is to inform farmers on the seriousness of the current drought we are going through.
We want to educate farmers on the critical things that affect them in this situation like the water, grazing, health and supplementary issues,” Kanguatjivi said.
Furthermore, Kanguatjivi advised farmers to sell livestock while they are still in good condition, and keep those they can manage during the dry season.
Jasana Uaaka from the veterinary office in Epukiro urged farmers to make sure their livestock are vaccinated on time, saying animals become very sensitive during drought and can easily attract diseases and viruses.
Hugo Kandovazu who organized this year’s event said they saw it necessary to bring farmers and experts together so that they share knowledge on how to maintain their livestock and improve production.
“We want to make this event bigger and attract more villagers and more farmers around Epukiro to give our communal farmers the needed information, because this is an eye-opener and we are going to work harder next year and beyond to make it more successful”, Kandovazu concluded.
–Nampa