Surviving drought on encroacher bush species
...how a farmer prolonged his farm’s life on self-made animal feed
The thornveld savanna of the Otjozondjupa region of Namibia is, while beautiful and expansive, in some places so overgrown that a wall of vegetation allows nothing through. This area is also home to the village of Omazera, home of the Kauari family.
Salomo Kauari, like his father before him, is a full-time farmer. He is a communal farmer, and a member of the African Wild Dog Communal Conservancy. As the thick rainclouds of a good rainy season build above us, Salomo proudly demonstrates how his innovations and training enabled him to weather the recent drought.
Farming was always in his blood, and even when he left the farm to work in the capital Windhoek, he did so for one of the largest agricultural retail entities. While there, he also took the time to attend as many training opportunities as he could, and learnt about “animal health and nutrition”.
Then in 2014, when his father died, Salomo returned home to begin what he was always meant to do. His understanding of the value of learning had been ingrained during his time working in the capital city. So, his priority now as a full-time farmer was to learn more.
Innovation
According to Salomo, he had an added advantage because of the training he attended.
“I attended courses offered by GIZ. The first training course I attended was the 19th Rangeland Forum in Otjiwarongo, which was mostly on adaptation to climate change. Then, I attended the 21st Rangeland Forum, also in Otjiwarongo, where the bush-based feed booklet was launched.
This was my first time hearing about bush-to-feed and its link to drought. The training helped me a lot because you get different ideas. Some you can use, and others you can’t, but it helped me a lot,” he said.
Salomo continued to attend as many training courses as he could over the years, especially those on the topic of bush-based animal feed. “From there, I decided I have to buy my own machine. It was around April 2019 that I bought my own machine. I also attended a bush-based animal feed production workshop, and a training of trainers workshop that year. I was just collecting experience on bush-to-feed: on how to prepare it, how to make some rations and some recipes for different animals. So that when I came back home, I could try it. At that time, I was just trying to make different recipes for different animals.”
Salomo purchased a hammer mill machine, which is used to grind materials into small pieces. What he didn’t know then was that by investing in his bush-to-feed production, he was ensuring a lifeline for his family farm.
Surviving the drought The area where Omazera is situated would normally receive around 350-400mm annual rainfall. Namibia has, however, been in the grip of a nine-year drought since 2012, with rainfall averages dropping each year.
“2019 was also the time our rainfall was very low. In 2018, we had about 290mm, and in 2019 we only had 130mm”, explained Salomo. “I knew I had to make a plan. I used the bushes. I made different recipes, for survival or maintenance feed. This was how my 12 calves survived the drought, and they are big now.
“The mothers of the calves died in the drought, so I had to try to help the calves survive. I used a mixture of bush feed, bran, molasses syrup and salt. If it was not for the idea that I got from most of the training of using bushto-feed, I could have lost everything - even the bull itself.
Other farmers were asking me, ‘how come my bull is so fat when theirs are thin and dying’, but my bull didn’t even lose its condition”, he beamed.
Wisdom
Salomo uses biomass for his animal feed from encroaching species, which he then mixes with other food supplements such as bran and molasses.
“You take the problematic bushes, the encroaching bushes, cut off the branches, and put them in the hammer mill. When you are finished, you put them on a black sheet to dry. I have found, though, that it’s better to cut and leave the bushes in the field overnight before they go in the hammer mill machine. Then, most of the water is out. After you dry the feed on a sheet, you can mix it to feed to the cattle.”
To further the ease of his process, Salomo welded an old barrel to create an instant mixer. “I made my own barrel for mixing. You put all ingredients in the barrel and roll it (on the ground), and it comes out already mixed” added Salomo, proudly showing off his innovation that has already impressed his farming neighbours.
While he experimented to perfect his recipe for bush-based animal feed, Salomo has also created a recipe for protein blocks which are made using a mix of tree pods, mixed with bran, a bit of phosphate, molasses syrup, water and salt. He has also started the production of activated charcoal, which came about in response to a common problem faced by farmers here. As Salomo explained, “from September to January, we have a
problem with poisonous plants in our area”.
Salomo now uses his hammer mill to create charcoal powder, which can be added to the livestock’s drinking water to help reduce toxins and prevent poisoning. “With the same machine and the same process, I also make activated charcoal. I pack this into 1kg bags, and sell it to other farmers. The product helps their cattle not to die from their poisonous plants”, he explained.
Climate change
Salomo notes that farming today is very different from farming in years gone by. This, he feels, is why it is so important for farmers to be adapting and looking for sustainable innovations in farming practices.
“Climate change has affected everything, and has also changed everything. When I grew up, my father didn’t even use most of the supplements we use. They didn’t even vaccinate their cattle as often. Nowadays, if you have small stock, you have to vaccinate them four times a year. I don’t know, there are a lot of diseases nowadays”, sighed Salomo.
“The other challenge is that the grazing areas are becoming smaller because there are a lot of camps around. Everything is fenced, so I have to plan how to let mine survive in a small space. So, I have to supplement. Farming is very different.”
Sharing ideas
Despite the many challenges, Salomo is optimistic about the future. “I am very proud of where my operation is going. There are always many challenges in farming, but the training happened in the same period that we faced a drought, and it helped me. It meant my cattle and livestock could survive the drought.”
Salomo now shares his knowledge and learning with other farmers as a mentor. “I’m currently a mentor for Agribank, so I also advise farmers on ideas, mostly on livestock, animal health and animal nutrition. I started with the Farmers Support Programme (FSP), which was funded by GIZ, and now I am a part of Agribank’s Advisory Services Division. This programme gives advice and trains farmers in different areas”.
Salomo feels there is still a need for more support in the animal feed sector as it’s an emerging sector, and there is still much to learn. However, he also feels that farmers are good communicators, and as they continue to share their experiences, the sector will grow.
His advice to anyone wanting to learn more about this sector is to “attend information days and visit workshops. That’s where you get the information, and if you are a farmer, you really need that information. Auctions are a great place to get information because even if you are not selling, you might meet a farmer who gives you an idea”, noted Salomo.
The future for Salomo
He said he knows he is where he belongs, and is excited to see where the journey will take him.
“My father schooled us and fed us with farming. When I look back, my background was always just farming. I knew that I needed to take the experience I got back to the farm.
“I’m very proud because every year, I go a step ahead; it’s good. I have expanded; I now have a big warehouse, I have more livestock, and I have diversified my livestock because I now even have chickens and a small vegetable garden. I am very happy, as other farmers also approach me for advice. Every move I make feels like a step ahead.