ENDOLA – Northern councillors fear subsistence farmers in their constituencies might have insufficient harvest this season due to poor rainfall.
Despite many parts of Namibia receiving above-average to good rainfall, Outapi councillor Immanuel Timoteus said his constituency has not received rain for a while, dashing all hopes of a bumper harvest.
Shikongo said he is thus worried about the status of crops, which have started wilting due to the scorching heat.
“Even last year we did not receive enough rainfall, I am advising those left with little mahangu, to use it wisely and sparingly in case we are not going to receive rain,” he advised.
Ogongo councillor Daniel Iilende said the cultivation season started well, and many farmers worked their fields.
However, in the past weeks, they have not received rain hence the crops are dying.
“We, therefore, fear a poor harvest which will affect food sustainability. If we do not receive rain in days to come, people will go hungry,” he stated.
According to a senior weather forecaster, Richard Nashikaku, tropical moisture is in circulation over the northern, central high grounds and the south-eastern parts of Namibia, where a few isolated thundershowers are expected in places.
“Scattered thundershowers are most likely over the central high grounds tomorrow. The high-pressure system over Botswana will reach the north-eastern parts of Namibia on Thursday where dry air will be in circulation, pushing tropical moisture to the Omusati, Kunene, Erongo, Khomas, Hardap and //Kharas regions where a few to isolated thundershowers are expected in places on Thursday,” said Nashikaku.
He further said the cooling in maximum temperatures is expected in the interior due to the cloud cover and rainy weather expected in the interior.
“Few showers are most likely over the northern coastal areas with mild to warm temperatures over the coastal areas,” he said.
The 67-year-old Sylvia Shivute from Oshomukwiyu-Ohalushu in Endola constituency in the Ohangwena region is one of the many subsistence farmers whose crops have wilted.
She said although she started ploughing in early January after good rainfall, their dream of a good harvest was shattered when their crops started dying this month.
“I ploughed three hectares of which two dried up while the seedlings on the other side even failed to come out,” she explained.
She indicated that they have not received any rain since early February and the situation has become unbearable.
“Early this year when it rained so good, I thought I ploughed early so that I will have a better harvest. Unfortunately, that was all in vain,” said Maria Nicodemus, from Omungwelume, who started working in her field in early December last year.
Nicodemus said she does not know how she will survive another year of drought because she has no surplus grain from last year and she is unemployed to feed her family that rely on her.
No one was seen cultivating crops in the area as many had given up and were instead looking for other means to feed their families.