Bush an opportunity for farmers
Bush encroachment can create unique opportunities for Namibian farmers and the economy at large if biomass is recognised as a valuable resource for existing and new value chains.
It is estimated that approximately 26 to 30 million hectares of farmland is affected by bush encroachment in Namibia.
According to the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) this figure is projected to have increased up to up to 45 million hectares in the recent years.
The NAU says that this severely impacts on agricultural productivity through a reduction in carrying capacity and a loss of biodiversity among other factors.
However a number of Namibian farmers have decided to turn the bush into an opportunity, more concretely into animal feed.
The results of these pioneer activities are remarkable and prove that bush-based feed works especially during drought periods as emergency feed, but also as supplement feed during rainy seasons.
To date, 15 Namibian farmers have been identified that are producing animal feed from bush material. According to the interviewed farmers, the lack of reliable knowledge and guidelines still hampers the process and is the reason for unnecessarily high costs.
The Support to De-bushing Project, which is jointly implemented by GIZ and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF), is conducting research to optimise bush-based feed production.
Two pilot projects have been set-up, one in a communal set-up and the other one at a commercial farm. The pilot activities include the laboratory analysis of encroacher species found at the pilot sites as well as feed production and intensive feeding trials. The pilot projects will run until April next year and are expected to lead to a detailed research report as well as manuals for farmers in both communal and commercial areas.
Bush-feed producers are encouraged to contribute to the project by taking part in a survey. The gathered information will assist in the development of suitable interventions with regard to the production, effective use, storage and future commercialisation of bush feed.
STAFF REPORTER
It is estimated that approximately 26 to 30 million hectares of farmland is affected by bush encroachment in Namibia.
According to the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) this figure is projected to have increased up to up to 45 million hectares in the recent years.
The NAU says that this severely impacts on agricultural productivity through a reduction in carrying capacity and a loss of biodiversity among other factors.
However a number of Namibian farmers have decided to turn the bush into an opportunity, more concretely into animal feed.
The results of these pioneer activities are remarkable and prove that bush-based feed works especially during drought periods as emergency feed, but also as supplement feed during rainy seasons.
To date, 15 Namibian farmers have been identified that are producing animal feed from bush material. According to the interviewed farmers, the lack of reliable knowledge and guidelines still hampers the process and is the reason for unnecessarily high costs.
The Support to De-bushing Project, which is jointly implemented by GIZ and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF), is conducting research to optimise bush-based feed production.
Two pilot projects have been set-up, one in a communal set-up and the other one at a commercial farm. The pilot activities include the laboratory analysis of encroacher species found at the pilot sites as well as feed production and intensive feeding trials. The pilot projects will run until April next year and are expected to lead to a detailed research report as well as manuals for farmers in both communal and commercial areas.
Bush-feed producers are encouraged to contribute to the project by taking part in a survey. The gathered information will assist in the development of suitable interventions with regard to the production, effective use, storage and future commercialisation of bush feed.
STAFF REPORTER
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article