At 28-years-old, Gabriel Shikongo is using a childhood lesson from his grandmother to fight deforestation and improve farming in Namibia.
Shikongo, a trained police officer and former University of Namibia student, remembers how his grandmother used ash in the mahangu field to keep away pests and keep the soil fertile. That memory inspired him to start a business making charcoal-coated seedballs.
The seedballs are made by covering different seeds, such as mahangu and acacia, with charcoal dust. The charcoal protects the seeds from heat and pests, helps them keep moisture, and makes it easier for them to grow.
“Charcoal holds water like a sponge and gives the seeds more chance to grow,” he said.
Namibia has lost many trees in recent years, and Shikongo believes his idea can help restore the land. His seedballs can be thrown in empty or dry areas where they can slowly grow into trees, helping fight soil erosion and climate change. Farmers can also use them to improve crop harvests while saving water.
He built his own small machine for coating the seeds, using parts from a broken fan. He currently employs two people but hopes to create more jobs as his project grows.
“I want to leave a legacy and give more Namibians work in both seedball production and tree planting,” he said.
The project also benefits local communities by creating job opportunities and promoting farming that is friendly to the environment. However, he faces challenges. His small machine cannot produce enough seedballs, and he needs financial support and equipment to expand.
“This is not just about business, it’s about restoring our land, helping farmers, and protecting our future,” he said.
He added that, with the right support, his seedball idea could help Namibia fight deforestation and build a greener future for the next generations.
In 2023, the ministry of environment, forestry said Namibia is actively addressing the critical issue of deforestation through a range of comprehensive measures, including forest protection, tree planting programmes, and wildfire management, to safeguard its valuable forests and maintain ecological balance.
The ministry emphasised the vital role that trees and forests play in providing essential ecosystem services and supporting economic benefits such as timber production, while also contributing to job creation in wood-based industries.
Forest-based actions will further advance the implementation of Namibia’s Nationally Determined Contribution, an ambitious roadmap to combat climate change through adaptation and mitigation programmes.
It further emphasised that well-managed forests offer nature-friendly solutions to many global challenges, including climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss.
The ministry has also initiated research on the use of native tree species to make tree seedlings available to community members for planting.