Zebaldt Ngaruka
Farmers in the Aminuis constituency are adapting to new and innovative ways of farming through a thriving garden project called Orevia Green Farm, situated at Orevia, a village some 90km south of Gobabis.
The garden project, located on a two-hectare piece of land, produces both winter and summer crops, and feeds the community and supplies to various institutions within the Omaheke region.
They employ over four members of the community, and supply fruits and vegetables to various major outlets such as Gobabis MegaSave, Spar and Atlantic Catering company, and also schools. The garden was founded in 2020.
Lucia Katuuo, owner of Orevia Green Farm, shared with AgriToday that their goal is to alleviate the livelihood of the community, and help address malnutrition through food self-sufficiency by becoming the region’s food basket.
“It is a fact that we are in a very difficult situation due to the ongoing drought. Therefore, we have to work hard and find different ways to feed ourselves, despite the prevailing challenges. We cleared a vast area which requires an irrigation system to water our crops. Water scarcity from our borehole is a concern and if we can get access to more water, we are confident we can feed the entire region from this garden,” Katuuo said, who added that drought can only be defeated through innovative farming enterprises.
Despite the good progress from their end, one of their biggest challenges is the poor quality of seeds they receive from government.
“It is embarrassing to our customers. The ministry should be the one to practice food security and help us the ground farmers.
“This is really not fair. As a crop farmer, I am aware of which seeds are ideal for my produce and which ones are not,” added Katuuo, who also complained about the late deployment of tractors.
“They are always coming late. Some farmers are forced to skip growing their crops. This status quo must change if we are preaching self-sustenance in our region. I noticed that the agriculture ministry is assisting, but it does not approach the farmers first. They just sit there and decide to do things without consulting farmers.”
She encouraged Omaheke farmers, especially those with vast land and water to venture into gardening.
“A garden project will prevent you from selling your livestock unnecessarily. We can see the prices of cattle are dropping immensely and crops are now in demand. Thus, we are not selling our livestock, but living from the garden,” she shared.
-zngaruka@yahoo.com