Kavango East governor Hamunyera Hambyuka recently led a delegation to the Omaheke region, where they visited dairy farms and gardens as part of his ongoing strategic benchmarking and regional knowledge exchange missions.
In Omaheke, Hambyuka and his team were welcomed by his counterpart, Pijoo Nganate, who facilitated their visit to the Travena Dairy Farm situation at Farm du Plessis, one of the region’s biggest dairy farms.
Hambyuka, who was accompanied by Stefanus Sinonge, chairperson of the Kavango East Regional Council, and Laurentius Mukoya, councillor for the Ndiyona constituency, also visited the garden projects at Farm Nuwehoop on the outskirts of Gobabis. The delegation also exchanged notes and knowledge with Frans Murangi, the founder of Travena Dairy Farm, where discussions focused on industry best practices, market access and local capacity development.
“The working visit here, which forms part of a strategic mission to the Omaheke region, focused on benchmarking and regional knowledge exchange.
Our discussions were centred on learning from existing dairy farming models, which will help inform the planned revival of the Uvungu-vhungu dairy project in Kavango East, aimed at strengthening agriculture and food security,” shared Hambyuka. The governor also had a string of engagements with various stakeholders to foster collaboration and identify sustainable pathways for implementation.
Heighten efforts
Hambyuka’s visit to Omaheke forms part of his ongoing efforts to elevate agriculture to the forefront of his region’s interventions to tackle food insecurity and uplift communities through farming initiatives.
Since last year, over 3 400 farmers in the Kavango East region have benefited from subsidised inputs and services under the government’s Dry Land Crop Production Programme and Cereal Value Chain initiative, which is part of broader efforts to enhance food production and agricultural resilience in the region.
An additional 3 403 farmers received subsidised seeds, while 1 044 farmers working on a combined 2 656 hectares of land benefited from ripping and ploughing services.
Hambyuka’s efforts are part of a renewed push to fully implement green scheme projects in the region, with a focus on sustainable agriculture, agro-processing and food security.
The Uvhungu-vhungu green scheme continues to demonstrate its potential, having planted 147 hectares of maize with an average yield of eight tonnes per hectare.
That same season, 97 hectares of wheat were planted, yielding an average of 501 tonnes per hectare.
Meanwhile, the Ndonga Linena green scheme project planted 88 hectares of maize and 22 hectares of wheat, resulting in a combined harvest of 440 tonnes.