Namibia has been advised to adopt Ethiopian agricultural strategies following a benchmarking visit by the delegation from the National Assembly’s Parliamenty Standing Committee on Natural Resources to that country.
The committee now wants the country to adopt and implement successful agricultural strategies to bolster Namibia’s food security and support its farming communities.
The recently-concluded study visit took place from 9-13 December 2024, and provided the Namibian delegation with first-hand insights into Ethiopia’s agricultural practices, government support systems, and strategies for empowering small-scale farmers.
Committee chairperson Tjekero Tweya submitted a report entailing the recommendation to the National Assembly recently.
The committee undertook a study visit to benchmark with its counterpart committees of the House of People’s Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to learn, share information and experiences on the best-practices in parliament’s oversight function related to the agricultural sector, especially in farming methods practised, government incentives provided to farmers, market access and capacity-building initiatives.
“The Standing Committee on Natural Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform should organise a joint study visit to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and relevant institutions in Brazil to exchange best- practices, policies and regulations, as well as to enhance agricultural expertise,” the report suggested.
The delegation then proposed exploring a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopia to facilitate cooperation and knowledge-sharing.
The committee emphasised the need for the ministry of finance to consider allocating a larger budget to the ministry of agriculture to support small-scale farmers and irrigation development.
“The government and relevant stakeholders should introduce other farming practices, for instance cluster farming, and provide technical and financial support to farmer cooperatives to enhance their efficiency, improve market access and maximise the benefits of economies of scale,” Tweya is further quoted as saying.
Strategies
The Namibian delegation noted Ethiopia’s significant budgetary allocation to its Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, signalling robust commitment to the sector. It is something they want replicated here. “The government of Ethiopia allocated a larger budget towards the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In the same way, farmers were also provided with access to credits and savings, microfinance and loan programmes to invest, training and extend their services”, the report observed.
“The government of Ethiopia invested significantly in irrigation development by providing pumps, trucks and other machinery, free from taxation. Further assistance and support was also offered by securing a stable market through cooperatives in the wholesale and retail market, for instance, the Sunday market (open market ),” the MPs emphasised.
The delegation learned that a significant portion of land in Ethiopia is owned by small-scale farmers, who benefit from various government incentives such as tax exemptions, financial provisions and subsidised inputs.
Ethiopia’s successful implementation of cooperative farming models and well-managed resettlement programmes also left a strong impression on the Namibian delegation.
“Farmers were organised into clusters or cooperatives to leverage economies of scale, share resources and access improved services,” the report noted.