Windhoek
Farmers across the crop-producing regions are fuming after it transpired that five tractors and five rippers procured via the Scaling Up Community Resilience (SCORE) project for N$51 million are standing idle in Otjiwarongo and Windhoek.
On the other hand tractor owners in the north of the country are completely overwhelmed by clients’ demands for ripping services.
Their angry voices come after it was announced that N$916 million is to be spent on drought relief measures this year, while the SCORE project has been widely critised by angry farmers who are busy losing out on an entire crop harvest of maize and mahangu due to the non-operational programme that was launched in July 2015.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation hosted a workshop on the programme in October 2015. The SCORE project was awarded US$3 equivalent to N$45 million from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and co-funded by the Government of Namibia.
One component is to introduce conservation agriculture (CA) to 4 000 farmers with a special focus on women and children.
Farmers yesterday said that at least 2 500 hectares of farmland with an average yield of 4 175 tonnes of mahangu or maize could have been prepared if the tractors and rippers were supplied at the start of the planting season last November, as promised by SCORE.
It was confirmed that Hoffman’s in Otjiwarongo received payment for the five John Deere 5 503 tractors two weeks ago while Baufi’s Agricultural Services in Windhoek confirmed that 25 percent of the total amount for the five rippers was still outstanding.
The SCORE project of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was launched in 2014 with a special focus on women and children, aimed at addressing vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change, including variability, at local, national, regional and global level to promote transfer and adoption of adaptation technology.
Scores of farmers representing some “100 000 households are up in arms about the project not being launched.
The project has three components all aimed at strengthening the adaptive capacity to reduce vulnerability of rural communities in responding to drought and floods in northern Namibia with special focus on women and children.
They also pointed out that almost 600 000 Namibians are already in need of drought aid food and raised concerns that this figure might grow considerably if vital projects like the SCORE programme are not implemented timely and efficiently.
Farmers pointed out that 2 500 of the targeted 4 000 beneficiaries of the SCORE project could have benefitted this season alone. They say that staple food would have made an enormous difference for each of the somewhat 100 000 participating households.
The situation for land preparation in the north is desperate, and tractor owners just can’t keep up with demand as the planting season draws to a close.
It also transpired last week that the SCORE project has not yet identified SCORE beneficiaries as it opted to advertise that operation to consultants.
Farmers say the project reeks of poor project management and inexperience.
In response to the allegations, SCORE Project Coordinator Uazamo Kaura yesterday said that since the launch of the project at the end of July 2015, the project as part of its foremost activities for 2015 was requested to, among others, facilitate the recruitment of project staff; set up offices for the project staff within the regions including the procurement of equipment; consult with stakeholders to not only re-introduce the project, but also determine clear implementation guidelines on the ground, and set up clear operating systems in accordance with the recommendations from the inception workshop.
“Following consultations with its implementing partners, the project in November 2015 initiated the purchase of tractors and rippers which will assist the community with agricultural activities. It was understood that the procurement process also may take some time, hence it was not expected that the tractors and the rippers will be immediately available, more so during the current harvesting season.
“In addition, due diligence also had to be exercised to ensure the long-term sustainability of the equipment, hence once the purchase has been completed, internal administration procedures and policies have to be followed. Once this is done, the equipment will be availed for ripping services,” she notes.
Suppliers of tractors and rippers yesterday confirmed the equipment has been available since last year but failure of payment and/or late payments resulted in the equipment still being stationary in Otjiwarongo and Windhoek.