The much-anticipated 2023 edition of the Women and Agriculture Summit will officially get underway tomorrow at the NTN in Windhoek and will see the crème de la crème of Namibia’s agricultural sector all taking the stage.
As has become customary, this prestigious annual event brings together female farmers, women interested in farming, agricultural organisations, female and male experts and sponsors to discuss and develop strategies and solutions on how to empower local female farmers.
Some of the industry experts who will grace the event between tomorrow and Thursday will be AvaGro co-founder Leonie Hartmann, president of the Namibia Emerging Commercial Farmers’ Union Nghifindaka-Tjiuongua, Twapewa Kadhikwa of Xwama Cultural Village and Kadhikwa Chicken Farming, as well as May Hikumwah, who is a full-time crop and horticulture farmer and founder of agro-processing food company, Elegance Mission Investment.
Veteran commercial farmer and renowned businessman Vetumbuavi Mungunda, FirstRand Namibia’s group economist Ruusa Nandago, IT & digitalisation consultant Joab Selelya and Tomas Kalumbu from Kongalend Financial Services will all be part of the event and will share their expertise and knowledge with young and experienced farmers.
This year’s theme, ‘Leveraging technology and innovation to unleash the potential of agriculture and value addition’, will bring together women interested in farming from all across Namibia.
Through dynamic discussions, workshops and networking opportunities, the organisers aim to empower female farmers, provide valuable insights and foster collaboration to address the challenges faced by women in the agricultural sector.
The summit will also provide an opportunity for these stakeholders to share best practices and resources, build relationships and develop initiatives to support and promote female farmers while providing invaluable benefits to each participant.
The summit comes at a pivotal time, as both the World Bank and African Development Bank have said that agriculture is the backbone of many world economies, particularly African economies.
But the agricultural sector, both on the continent and globally, continues to face many challenges, which include gender disparities, climate change, lack of funding and limited access to markets.
- ohembapu@nepc.com.na