Agro-forestry won’twork in Namibia – expert

NAMIBIAN rangeland expert Axel Rothauge says agro-forestry is not suited to the country’s semi-arid climate, citing moisture competition and failed local crop trials.

This is despite some agricultural experts in Africa calling on land users to embrace climate-smart agricultural practices to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change.

Rothuge last week said agro-forestry is an interesting concept, but is only possible in countries with tropical rain forests with enough soil nutrients.

“But in semi-arid environments like in Namibia, you cannot practise agro-forestry because the woody plants will be competing with the crops, especially for soil moisture.

“For example, if you have an orchard you want to establish at your farm and you plant your trees among the blackthorns (Acacia mellifera), you will see that the blackthorns grow fast and the fruit trees stay small,” he said.

Rothuge said these types of thorn trees are well adapted to the environment as they are indigenous, while cultivated crops are all exotic and not well adapted to local conditions.

Some years ago, a trial was undertaken at the University of Namibia’s Ogongo Agricultural College in the Omusati region, where researchers tried to grow mahangu between blackthorns and the results were disastrous, he said.

Kassahun Tesfaye, an Ethiopian expert in bio-economy and emerging technology, calls on farmers in Africa to embrace agro-forestry and the growing of drought-resistant crops to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change.

He says there is also a need for Africa to tap into traditional and indigenous knowledge to survive climate change.
“We need to value and protect our biodiversity to improve agriculture. We need to turn waste into wealth and bio-energy,” Tasfaye says.

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