Gerson Kandanga pursued his passion to become a full-time farmer and retired at the age of 45, leaving behind a career in mining - a decision he doesn’t regret. 

He currently farms with an impressive herd of 100 cattle, indigenous chicken, and a variety of crops to sustain his livelihood and meet his farming needs.

Kandanga participated in the Agribank Women and Youth Training funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Farming for Resilience project (F4R) in 2021. He reflected on how he gained knowledge from the training about maintaining cattle body condition, breeding practices, controlling parasites, the provision of lick and feed supplements, and maintaining a sizable herd according to available grazing. 

Moreover, he gained knowledge of poultry and crop production and highlighted how he immediately purchased his first chickens after the training and gained interest in crop production. 

He currently keeps a small flock of indigenous chickens which he plans to expand to sell breeding stock and uses some for his own consumption. 

Kandanga also has a vegetable garden where he plants onions, maize, carrots, pumpkins, and beetroot. He currently markets some of his produce to locals in Omatjete and uses some for-home consumption. He plans to expand his garden but lamented that water remains a key challenge as both the livestock and garden compete for water. 

Kandanga also participated in Agribank’s first Market Day held this year in Omaruru with support from GIZ. Moreover, he currently markets his animals at auctions in Otjiwarongo and Omaruru and has noticed the difference in income. 

He attested to the fact that his income has since changed since he received training; he now sells his weaners at N$7 000 or more each.

Despite these achievements, he currently faces challenges with water scarcity as the community shares two communal boreholes, of which one dried up during the drought. Moreover, he suffered the loss of many of his cattle during the devastating drought conditions of 2019. 

Veld fires and the lack of permit days in the area are further obstacles he faces. Water, especially, is a challenge as he must apportion water between the garden and livestock. In the future, he intends to drill a borehole and could consider acquiring an Agribank loan as well. - tjatindi@gmail.com