Northern farmers shift from subsistenceto sales

Northern small-scale farmers are shifting from subsistence to market-oriented farming through a Namibia-Japan project aimed at boosting productivity and improving livelihoods.

This transformation is being channelled through the Northern Namibia Small-Scale Farmers’ Livelihood Enhancement Project (N-Shep).

The project is the result of a partnership between Namibia and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), following a six-year agreement signed in 2020.

The project targets the Ohangwena, Omusati, Oshana, and Oshikoto regions.

Focus was placed on enhancing agricultural productivity and promoting market-oriented farming practices among smallholder farmers, project representatives say.

Some 32 task force members and 244 farmers in the four regions have been trained so far.

As a result, farmers’ have embraced market-oriented farming, with some selling cattle for the first time.

Several extension staff have shown increasing confidence in the N-Shep package, and other regions, like the Kavango East and West regions, have shown interest.

The N-Shep project director Ben Haraseb says the project aims to help farmers think outside the box.

“You don’t produce and look for a market, you look for a market and then produce. We are the first country to do the livestock Shep, and this is an opportunity to make history,” he says.

However, N-Shep project coordinator Leevi Nekwaya says changing traditional farmers’ minds has not been easy.

“The traditional belief was that for any project aimed at improving farmers’ livelihoods to become successful, they need to be assisted with material or inputs,” he says.

Other challenges include the climate, culture, customs, techniques and resources.

Jica chief adviser Katsusuke Niwa says the project is progressing and expanding to non-target regions.

Kaino David, an agricultural technician at Oshikunde in the Ohangwena region, says farmers are thoroughly trained on topics like production and income analysis.

“We leave it up to the farmers to make a decision, whereby they make the sales plan and marketing calendar,” he says.

David says the last step is the training of the farmers, which involves different processes, including the administration of medicine.

“From there we follow up on the farmers to see how they are doing,” he says.

Another agricultural technician at Oshikango, Daniel Shekuhungama, says the project mostly targets small-scale farmers to improve their livelihoods.

“After the selection of the target farmers, we explain the goals and objectives to raise their awareness.

Farmers also acquire skills and knowledge of castration, dehorning, winning, and how to go about feed management,” he says.

Oshikunde constituency farmer Reabean Nangolo says he previously had no knowledge of vaccinating and taking care of cattle, leading to a significant loss of livestock.

“Now I am able to take care of my cattle, and I have also learnt how to market the cattle. I am able to sell, and from that I can take care of my children.

“I thank the project and the government for this opportunity,” he says.

Another farmer at Oshikango, Kristofina Haimbodi, expressed her appreciation of the project.

“I learned how to dehorn cows, because it is easier to transport them,” she says.

Haimbodi says she will be selling her second cow and has identified a potential buyer through the knowledge she has gained.

“Now I also buy supplementary feed It helps during the drought season when there is not enough grass,” she says.

“The project is a very good approach and I am thankful. In the past I used to keep my animals for events like weddings. Now I can sell and use the money for supplementary or other needs,” she says.

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