Mixed-crop solution for food security
Unam and the Japan Science Agency have found possible solutions to help mitigate the effects of drought and flooding in the North.
A mixed-crop system of drought-resilient mahangu and flood-resilient rice could help small-scale farmers keep their production constant, regardless of weather conditions.
This is one of the findings of five years of research conducted by the Namibia-Japan Rice Mahangu Project team at the University of Namibia's Ogongo Campus in the Omusati Region.
The project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and has been in existence since 2012.
The project team leader, Professor Mario Iijima, explained the cropping process at an information day at Ogongo on Wednesday.
He said rice and pearl millet can be used together as these two crops have the ability to “help each other” in cases of flood or drought.
“Rice grows well in large amounts of water, millet does not, but if these two are planted together, rice can help provide oxygen to the millet in order to save it from the excess water. The same is applied when rice is grown with millet in dry conditions, because millet can hold water for longer periods, it can help provide water to rice in the evenings.”
Also speaking at the event, Omusati Regional Governor Erginus Endjala commended the research team, saying if taken seriously, this system could be the solution to food insecurity in Namibia.
“We have been advised to utilise pans and ponds within our crop fields for rice production and also to practice this mixed cropping of rice and local crops and pearl millet and sorghum in order to minimise the risk of total crop failure either by flood or drought.”
Equipment such as a water pump, greenhouse, incubator and computer worth more than N$2.2 million were donated by the Japanese government through these agencies.
Various skills were also transferred to Namibian academics, Ministry of Agriculture officials and small-scale farmers in the northern and central regions.
The agreement between the Namibian and Japanese governments is expected to end on 27 February 2017. Iijika said Japan would be willing to assist where they could after this date.
NAMPA
This is one of the findings of five years of research conducted by the Namibia-Japan Rice Mahangu Project team at the University of Namibia's Ogongo Campus in the Omusati Region.
The project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and has been in existence since 2012.
The project team leader, Professor Mario Iijima, explained the cropping process at an information day at Ogongo on Wednesday.
He said rice and pearl millet can be used together as these two crops have the ability to “help each other” in cases of flood or drought.
“Rice grows well in large amounts of water, millet does not, but if these two are planted together, rice can help provide oxygen to the millet in order to save it from the excess water. The same is applied when rice is grown with millet in dry conditions, because millet can hold water for longer periods, it can help provide water to rice in the evenings.”
Also speaking at the event, Omusati Regional Governor Erginus Endjala commended the research team, saying if taken seriously, this system could be the solution to food insecurity in Namibia.
“We have been advised to utilise pans and ponds within our crop fields for rice production and also to practice this mixed cropping of rice and local crops and pearl millet and sorghum in order to minimise the risk of total crop failure either by flood or drought.”
Equipment such as a water pump, greenhouse, incubator and computer worth more than N$2.2 million were donated by the Japanese government through these agencies.
Various skills were also transferred to Namibian academics, Ministry of Agriculture officials and small-scale farmers in the northern and central regions.
The agreement between the Namibian and Japanese governments is expected to end on 27 February 2017. Iijika said Japan would be willing to assist where they could after this date.
NAMPA
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