Strengthening the resilience of Namibia's farming communities

The Japan-funded Resilience Project, to be rolled out in five regions and valued at US$2,985,759, is one of the most comprehensive climate resilience interventions co-designed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR) being implemented to support vulnerable farming households.

"This is not a handout. The project titled 'Enhancing Resilience of Farming Communities Affected by Drought through the Promotion of Adaptive Agriculture' is a structured investment in transforming how Namibia's smallholder and agro-pastoralist households produce food, manage water and prepare for drought," the minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform, Inge Zaamwani, said in a speech delivered on her behalf by Alfred Sikopo, the acting executive director for Vote 37, during a symbolic handover ceremony of the project in Mariental on Thursday.

Zaamwani said MAFWLR is the lead implementing partner for the project.

"We are not bystanders. The ministry requested, shaped and is accountable for this project, and today that ownership reaches the Hardap Region in the most tangible way possible.

"The 2023-24 El Niño season, one of the most severe in a century, left 1.4 million Namibians facing worsening food insecurity. The government's response must go beyond emergency relief and focus on building lasting adaptive capacity," she said.

Zaamwani noted that the Hardap Region was deliberately selected as one of the project's five target regions.

"It is a region where the ministry's extension services have deep roots and where investment in adaptive agriculture can yield meaningful results. The Hardap Region is home to one of Namibia's largest irrigation schemes and has a proud tradition of sheep, cattle and ostrich farming. Government recognises this agricultural heritage and is investing in it, not replacing it," she said.

According to the minister, MAFWLR's extension officers are already embedded in communities across the region, and the project will strengthen their work.

"It equips them with improved tools, updated training materials, and proven Farmer Field School (FFS) and Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) approaches to serve Hardap's farmers more effectively.

"The government will also develop a dedicated Hardap Regional Drought Action Plan under this project, providing the region with an evidence-based, locally owned tool for anticipatory drought response that will outlast the project itself," Zaamwani said.

The minister urged the beneficiaries to make full use of the opportunities being created by the initiative.

"Under the Resettlement Programme, we acquired 521 farms, of which 102 are in the Hardap Region. Government is watching, not to find fault, but because it is invested in their success.

"The seeds, tools, training and technologies being handed over today represent a promise that must be honoured through active participation and adoption," Zaamwani said.

Under the project, MAFWLR, through its Directorate of Agricultural Extension and Engineering Services (DAPEES) and regional structures, will deliver a range of inputs and support interventions to farming households in the Hardap Region until November 2027.

These include agro-input packages consisting of vegetable and legume seeds, fruit tree seedlings, fodder seeds, fertilisers and farming tools.

Livestock support will include poultry, both layers and broilers, rabbits, animal health kits and fodder.

Water-saving technologies to be introduced include solar-powered irrigation systems, shade-net structures and hydroponic systems, which are particularly relevant given the region's water constraints.

The project also includes extensive training. A total of 60 MAFWLR extension officers and 6,000 farmers will be trained in climate-smart agriculture through the FFS and SHEP approaches in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Zaamwani called on extension officers and regional agriculture offices in the Hardap Region to ensure that project inputs reach the intended beneficiaries and that Farmer Field Schools are operational and well attended from the outset.

The minister thanked FAO for providing technical leadership, coordination and capacity-building support throughout the project.

She also expressed the government's appreciation to Japan for committing more than US$5.1 million since 2022 towards Namibia's food security and resilience efforts.