Namibia to develop new conservation agriculture framework

NAMIBIA is set to develop a new conservation agriculture strategic framework to inspire local farmers to adopt sustainable agriculture practices that ensure resilience, food security and nutrition as well as environmental protection, an official said Monday.

Speaking at a workshop to develop the comprehensive conservation agriculture programme, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation assistant representative Ferdinard Mwapopi said the framework is to help farmers increase production and productivity, thus reducing risks and building resilience to climate change.

“Despite agricultural productivity increasing in some countries in the Sadc (Southern African Development Community) region, others like Namibia remain net importers of food items and are thus highly exposed to environmental and economic factors prevailing in food exporting countries, making them vulnerable to shocks,” he said, adding that the situation is further exacerbated by poor farming methods, high levels of soil degradation and desertification resulting in low agricultural productivity.

Droughts and prolonged dry spells also worsen the situation as they result in severe crop damage or complete crop failures placing many people at risk of hunger, he noted.

Conservation agriculture principles, which include minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover, and crop rotation, are universally applicable in all agricultural landscapes and cropping systems, Mwapopi said.

He said that this intervention is especially important for smallholder farmers who despite managing over 80% of the world's estimated 500 million small farms and providing over 80 percent of the food consumed in a large part of the developing world, are still largely overlooked and left to face challenges such as access to production inputs associated with high prices and lack of access to credits.