March 21, 2013

 

Namibia's livestock programme enhances production

 

 

As it makes considerable progress among communal farmers, Namibia's Livestock Producers' Forum (LPF) Mentorship Programme was initiated to enhance production among farmers in the Northern Communal Areas (NCAs).

 

This is according to the Meat Board of Namibia.

 

Communal farmers in the NCAs are rapidly changing from their traditional and subsistence-based farming practices to market-oriented systems of production.

 

If this positive trend continues, it is believed it will significantly uplift the agricultural sector, which has been declining over the past two decades. During the first five years of independence, agriculture contributed 9% of Namibia's GDP. However over the past five years, its share has shrunk to 4.5%.

 

Although the NCAs possess 1.6 million cattle compared to the 800,000 cattle in the areas south of the Veterinary Cordon Fence, it only contributes less than 10% to foreign exchange, while the commercial farming areas with less cattle contributes 90% to foreign exchange.

 

The LPF in partnership with the Meat Board of Namibia initiated the mentorship programme three years ago, in order to improve the livelihoods of communal farmers in Kunene, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Kavango and Caprivi.

 

The specific aim of the programme is to create market access for cattle farmers to produce and market beef for export markets as well as to enable export-approved abattoirs in northern Namibia to operate at full capacity. Currently, beef and beef products of the NCAs cannot be marketed on premium markets such as the EU, due to the animal health status in those areas.

 

According to Negussie, there is a growing interest to invest in farming from the NCA farmers. He said farmers now sell their animals with a specific purpose in mind, that of investing in their farms. Common investments these farmers make focus on fencing of farms and dividing the farms into camps to practise rotational grazing, drilling and installing boreholes, purchasing of breeding bulls, building crush pens and loading ramps, and the purchase of farm transport vehicles.

 

An average 55% of NCA farmers vaccinate their herds against infectious diseases, 47% treat their animals against parasites, while there is an average of a 16% decline in mortality. During the self-evaluation process of the programme, it was revealed that farmers are also starting to use supplementary feeding compared to before the mentorship programme. Basic animal husbandry is increasingly taking place, as more farmers are engaging in dehorning and castrating their animals. However, something that is worrying is the fact that only 10% more farmers market their animals than before the programme was launched.

 

"This is a marginal increase compared to the impressive 50-70% adoption rates for livestock technologies/innovations, animal health and supplemental feeds," Negussie said.

 

The mentorship programme operates in 42 rural constituencies of the seven regions, using the services of 14 highly experienced mentors. Farmers on the programme represent a mere 0.4% of farm households and 0.7% of households owning cattle in the NCAs.