Menette Hiyavali

Kavango East governor Hamunyera Hambyuka has called for a renewed approach to agriculture.

He said Namibia cannot achieve food security without rethinking how it conducts agricultural development across regions.

Speaking during his familiarisation visit to the Mashare Irrigation Development Agency (MIDA) recently, the governor stressed the urgent need to strengthen food systems and reposition green scheme projects to ensure national food self-sufficiency.

“If the basket is empty, we must prepare and change the gear of doing business,” he said.

The governor warned that without sufficient investment, the region risks stagnation. 

“Without a budget, we are planning to fail. This institute is ageing and needs a serious revamp. We have land, but we lack the funding to move forward,” said Hambyuka.

Additionally, the governor called for greater social responsibility in agriculture, urging institutions like MIDA to give back to surrounding communities by sharing some of the produce generated through the green scheme.

At the same occasion, chief agricultural technician and MIDA farm manager George Haufiku informed the governor’s entourage that the institution is currently focused on seed production, which is sent to Omahenene for processing and later redistributed to all regions.

Haufiku noted that the livestock section at MIDA currently holds 97 cattle, 160 goats, 40 pigs, 12 donkeys and two horses. 

Poultry operations have been inactive since 2019, though efforts to revive chicken production are ongoing. 

He further outlined several operational challenges facing the institution, including a broken irrigation pump, outdated sewer and ablution systems, inadequate seed storage facilities and ongoing budgetary constraints.

Paulus Mbangu, councillor for Rundu Rural constituency and chairperson of the committee on agriculture and environment for the Kavango East Regional Council, echoed the governor’s concerns. 

He stressed the need for direct and consistent support to farmers at the grassroots level.

Mbangu noted that the national allocation of only N$10 million for all green scheme farms across the country is insufficient. 

He raised concerns over unequal resource distribution and poor maintenance of existing schemes.

Mbangu said Mashare sends seed to Omahenene for processing, but very little comes back. 

He reiterated the need to process locally and retain value to reduce post-harvest losses by setting up a seed processing plant in the region. 

MIDA, located in Mashare constituency, was established in 1976 as an agricultural college. 

It transitioned into the Mashare Irrigation Centre in 2000 and began incorporating small-scale irrigation farming in 2005. 

Its core mandate includes the preservation of livestock breeds and seed production to enhance food security in the region.

*Menette Hiyavali is a senior information officer at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in Kavango East.