Close to 30 000 farmers trained
The agriculture ministry has met its targets for the training of farmers in a bid to enhance production and food security.
A total of 28 748 farmers were trained in relevant agricultural production topics including livestock husbandry, animal health, crop production during the 2017/18 financial year.
According to the agriculture ministry continuous provision of training and advice to farmers was aimed at enhancing farmer's capacities to sustainably increase livestock and crop production and productivity in order to reduce food imports and also ensure food security.
Agriculture minister Alpheus !Naruseb said in his budget motivation that they will continue to establish demonstration plots at the agricultural development centres and other identified sites in order to carry out training.
Other topics farmers were trained in included pest management, horticulture production, land preparation, soil fertility, rangeland management, rabies vaccination, supplementary feeding, record keeping, poultry production, livestock marketing, and livestock management calendar technique among others.
Farmers were capacitated through training, demonstrations, field days, information days, exposure visits, extension meetings and farm visits. On-farm demonstrations for both livestock and crops served as one of the most effective extension methods to train and show farmers how to perform manipulative operations and getting them to learn by doing.
In this regard, a total of 62 on-farm demonstrations for both livestock and crops were conducted in all regions in the country with 3 071 farmers attending.
The demonstrations focused on planting, ripping, fertiliser application, ear tagging application, deworming, vaccination, soil sampling and vegetable production amongst others.
Furthermore 130 information days were organised by extension field staff in collaboration with other stakeholders to sensitise farmers on various agricultural practices in the regions. In total 3 520 farmers attended these field days. The topics covered were on drought mitigation, rangeland monitoring, holistic herding, lick supplementation, livestock marketing, livestock diseases and control measures, valuation of crops and livestock products, conservation agriculture and fall armyworm management.
The main purpose of these visits was to provide advisory services, disseminate information and monitor and assess progress on projects implementation.
A total of 12 082 farmers including emerging and commercial farmers visited the agricultural development centres in the country seeking information on agricultural related services.
Also, 293 resettlement farmers were trained and advised on improved agricultural production practices. The type of support rendered included; poultry production, cultivated pasture, rangeland management policy and strategy and local level monitoring.
The ministry also carried out compliance inspections on retailers, farm storage facilities and distributors. This is to ensure that the agricultural inputs are registered and also the safe handling of pesticides and fertiliser as per required standards are effected.
A total of 6 639 phytosanitary certificates, import permits and in transit permits were issued on plant and plant products in line with Plant Quarantine Act of 2008 and generated more than N$1.014 million.
A total of 359 new registrations were done on farm feeds, fertilisers and pesticides and 1 685 renewals. An amount of N$602 200 was generated from the registration and renewals of agricultural inputs.
According to !Naruseb the ministry will continue to strengthen border control inspection capacity to ensure that all agricultural products entering and leaving the country are in conformity with the acceptable standards and are recorded.
ELLANIE SMIT
According to the agriculture ministry continuous provision of training and advice to farmers was aimed at enhancing farmer's capacities to sustainably increase livestock and crop production and productivity in order to reduce food imports and also ensure food security.
Agriculture minister Alpheus !Naruseb said in his budget motivation that they will continue to establish demonstration plots at the agricultural development centres and other identified sites in order to carry out training.
Other topics farmers were trained in included pest management, horticulture production, land preparation, soil fertility, rangeland management, rabies vaccination, supplementary feeding, record keeping, poultry production, livestock marketing, and livestock management calendar technique among others.
Farmers were capacitated through training, demonstrations, field days, information days, exposure visits, extension meetings and farm visits. On-farm demonstrations for both livestock and crops served as one of the most effective extension methods to train and show farmers how to perform manipulative operations and getting them to learn by doing.
In this regard, a total of 62 on-farm demonstrations for both livestock and crops were conducted in all regions in the country with 3 071 farmers attending.
The demonstrations focused on planting, ripping, fertiliser application, ear tagging application, deworming, vaccination, soil sampling and vegetable production amongst others.
Furthermore 130 information days were organised by extension field staff in collaboration with other stakeholders to sensitise farmers on various agricultural practices in the regions. In total 3 520 farmers attended these field days. The topics covered were on drought mitigation, rangeland monitoring, holistic herding, lick supplementation, livestock marketing, livestock diseases and control measures, valuation of crops and livestock products, conservation agriculture and fall armyworm management.
The main purpose of these visits was to provide advisory services, disseminate information and monitor and assess progress on projects implementation.
A total of 12 082 farmers including emerging and commercial farmers visited the agricultural development centres in the country seeking information on agricultural related services.
Also, 293 resettlement farmers were trained and advised on improved agricultural production practices. The type of support rendered included; poultry production, cultivated pasture, rangeland management policy and strategy and local level monitoring.
The ministry also carried out compliance inspections on retailers, farm storage facilities and distributors. This is to ensure that the agricultural inputs are registered and also the safe handling of pesticides and fertiliser as per required standards are effected.
A total of 6 639 phytosanitary certificates, import permits and in transit permits were issued on plant and plant products in line with Plant Quarantine Act of 2008 and generated more than N$1.014 million.
A total of 359 new registrations were done on farm feeds, fertilisers and pesticides and 1 685 renewals. An amount of N$602 200 was generated from the registration and renewals of agricultural inputs.
According to !Naruseb the ministry will continue to strengthen border control inspection capacity to ensure that all agricultural products entering and leaving the country are in conformity with the acceptable standards and are recorded.
ELLANIE SMIT
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