Modernisation key to boosting farm production in Kunene – governor Muharukua

Kunene governor Vipuakuje Muharukua has urged farmers to modernise their outdated farming practices to enhance production, increase profits, and achieve self-reliance during drought periods.

For a region that has experienced one of the worst droughts for more than 10 years, a drought that resulted in the loss of more than 90% of the region’s livestock, Muharukua believes that integrating farming methods is essential for farmers to achieve wealth through crop and livestock production.

“It is imperative for our resilience and wealth creation to modernise our rural agriculture away from subsistence farming that is currently defined by limited crop yields and high reliance on erratic rainfall patterns,” he says.

Muharukua said this during his first state of the region address at the Kunene Regional Council’s chambers at Opuwo under the theme ‘Kunene Region: Shifting from Promise to Wealth and Progress’.

He said it is time for farmers in the region to upscale crop production, improve irrigation systems, and provide better access to markets, as these are potential areas for development.

“Building a resilient agricultural sector is crucial. The future direction should focus on climate-smart agriculture – adopting practices and technologies that maximise productivity per drop of water and maintain the health of the land,” the governor said.

For the region to achieve this, Muharukua said it should begin promoting drought-resistant crops and livestock, which include traditional crops that can be reintroduced or improved. Hardy grains such as sorghum and pearl millet, along with high-nutrition legumes, can be cultivated using techniques like drip irrigation, conservation tillage, and rainwater harvesting to manage low rainfall.

Most households in the region continue to depend on the government feeding programme for survival, therefore, Muharukua believes that ensuring food security while producing marketable surpluses is crucial.

“Crucially, these efforts should build on indigenous knowledge of the land, blending it with modern innovation, thereby empowering local farmers as pioneers of sustainable, climate-smart agriculture,” he said.

“Our office has developed a concept note that will serve as the foundation for consultations with all local authority councils and interested commercial farmers. This initiative aims to encourage the formation of public-private partnerships between these stakeholders for food production.”

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