Windhoek
Seven San agricultural and livestock champions from local conservancies recently visited the Krumhuk commercial farm just outside Windhoek, which operates on bio-dynamic, organic and holistic management principles that the conservancy champions hope to introduce to their villages in the Otjozondjupa Region.
The San agricultural and livestock champions have shown a real aptitude for livestock management and farming in their communities. They have been handpicked to deepen their knowledge and capacity, so that they can go on to train other San people in their communities.
The San visitors benefited from a mix of presentations by specialist facilitators and those working at Farm Krumhuk and also participated in practical field work. Herding Krumhuk cattle and seeing the process from herding all the way through to the making of cheese, harvesting crops and their sale at the weekly bio-market in Klein Windhoek was all part of the training.
The aspiring farmers gained valuable insights, knowledge and ideas they can take back and teach in their communities.
The trip was part of ongoing work funded by the European Union () EUand Finnish Embassy to increase agricultural and livestock management capacity within San communities, where food security is a serious and a daily threat to their wellbeing.
The activities funded by the EU and the Finnish Embassy give the communities the tools they need for empowerment and self-sufficiency.
The environment within these conservancies is often harsh and the communities there are particularly at risk from the impacts of climate change, thus assisting San communities to develop capacity to improve their long-term food security is the ultimate goal.