Hileni Mwandingi
TALISMANUS – The minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry Alpheus !Naruseb has advised Omaheke livestock farmers to use their livestock as a means of sustaining themselves and their families. He was speaking during the inauguration and launching of Talismanus auction kraal in the Otjombinde constituency last week Thursday.
He said farmers should turn some of their livestock into monetary income by selling them, instead of keeping livestock that they cannot manage and are prone to die from drought. He further stated that overgrazing in communal areas remains a challenge, and contrary to the beliefs by many farmers who attribute it to poor rainfall, !Naruseb said overgrazing is greatly influenced by the overstocking of livestock hence the need to reduce the number of livestock and have facilities such as the auction kraals from time-to-time.
“The best way to reduce livestock is by making livestock marketing facilities available and accessible by all farmers. To avoid massive deaths of livestock, livestock marketing techniques should be compatible with rangeland management. This auction kraal is, therefore, an attempt to help communities in this region to manage their livestock sustainably,” said !Naruseb. He commended Global Environment Facility (GEF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for their support in the construction of the facility and urged traditional authorities with their subjects to take ownership and protect it from vandalism. UNDP Namibia resident representative Alka Bhatia said UNDP is significantly supporting the government to contribute to the achievement of SDG 15 ‘Life on Land’, which is promoting the sustainable management of forests, halt deforestation, as well as halting and reversing land degradation, among others.
“The aim of the kraal is to facilitate marketing of livestock offtake rate in Otjombinde and the surrounding areas,” said Bhatia. Bhatia further commended the Namibian government through the ministry of agriculture for its commitment to sustainable forest management by acting as a driver of change and successfully implementing the NAFOLA project. She, thus, called for the facility to be utilised for its intended purpose. On his part, Omaheke governor Festus Ueitele called on farmers to strive for an economically durable and ecologically sustainable farming industry. The Talismanus Auction Kraal was constructed to a tune of N$9.5 million, of which 60% was funded by UNDP and the rest by the Namibian government.