Empowering farmers to maximise production

With the hope of empowering farmers to ensure their production is not wasted, the World Food Programme (WFP) has partnered with the University of Namibia (Unam) to train rural farmers.The skills they learn will help them engage in income-generating activities by adding value to readily available local natural resources. The training - which started on Wednesday at the Ongwediva Agro-Marketing Trade Agency’s (AMTA) fresh hub and will end today - is being done to reap economic benefits from farmers to ensure food security. About 34 women are taking part. Senior lecturer Dr Penny Hiwilepo-Van Hal said as part of its social responsibility, Unam hopes to impart knowledge to those who didn’t make it to university. “We want to transfer knowledge from Unam back to the community as they are always left out, especially those who do not qualify to make it to the university. “One of the key things is to see what the communities have available at their disposal and what they produce.”Spice it upHiwilepo-Van Hal said they have selected butternut, spinach, onions and tomatoes as part of the initiative. They dry the butternut and produce flakes and powder. The powder can be used in different ways, even to make baby food, she said.“For the onions, we are also drying it and make small flakes or powder which can be incorporated in spices or you sprinkle it over your food as you cook,” she said, adding that they blanch and dry the spinach. In the long-term, they want to make sure farmers can promote their produce during trade fairs and business expos, she said.In light of the current climatic change, the training programme will help households survive these harsh conditions. The training has, so far, taken place in the Zambezi Region and Oshikoto is up next. If demand is high, they will extend it to other regions, Hiwilepo-Van Hal said.Straining food securityAccording to WFP biotechnology and food fortification officer Joan Pohamba, this pilot project aims to address post-harvest loss in the country.She said about 24% of Namibia&#039;s annual food production is lost or wasted, which strains the nation&#039;s food security and increases malnutrition. The free training also includes empowering communities on jam-making from natural resources such as marula fruits, wild melon, fresh tomatoes and guavas.

Empowering farmers to maximise production

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-10

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Empowering farmers to maximise production

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Namibian Sun 2026-09-10

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