Josephina Mwashindange
A resident of Oshivelo in the Oshikoto region is changing the face of the settlement through horticulture and chicken rearing – a task he carries out with great passion and effort.
Joel Nambahu (42), a resident of Oshivelo, has a passion for agriculture and wants to make the settlement a food hub for the surrounding communities and visitors.
Nambahu, who lives on land measuring less than a hectare, said he decided to use the space for agriculture and poultry purposes after realising the potential.
He currently works in Windhoek but makes sure he is home every weekend to see progress on the production.
“I do not know why our people believe in building mansions more than promoting agriculture,” Nambahu, a quantity surveyor by profession, said.
After settling at Oshivelo in 2018, his land now has 330 fruit trees and close to 23 breeding cages for chickens, doves and pigeons.
“I do not have any qualification for what I am currently doing but I have a passion for it,” he said, emphasising that one does not need a large piece of land to grow and produce agricultural products.
“This will be a wise decision, as it provides one with readily daily consumption of vegetables. Let us refrain from buying basic stuff for consumption while we can grow something for ourselves. By doing so, it boosts food sustainability and reduces hunger.
“You honestly cannot go to the market just to buy a tomato when you can grow it at the back of your house” he reiterated.
Nambahu’s operation has won the hearts of many, who have been inspired by it.
In the same vein, it has also attracted schools in the vicinity of Oshivelo settlement. The schools now bring learners for practical lessons to Nambahu’s agriculture haven, as there is so much for exposure.
He employs three permanent workers and mostly has casual labourers who come in to assist with work overload.
Nambahu said he believes in the imparting of practical skills as opposed to theoretical training, as his operation is driven by such skills. He, however, said the time is right to now learn the theoretical part of what he has been doing all the years.
“I am a breeder and believe in bringing up things right from the beginning. All I ask now is the government to bring in experts or assist us with the students from the universities to advise us professionally,” he appealed.
On animal husbandry, Nambahu has a dream of breeding goats and rams for the northern communities, as he would like to see farmers with best breeds as well.
In fact, he has two rams that cost him N$16 000, which he intends to start off with.
Nambahu is appealing to the government to assist farmers who are trying hard with their own money to make ends meet.
He said such operations benefit all Namibians and not only their individual owners.