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Namibia's mining growth to have little effect on jobs
Mining

Namibia's mining growth to have little effect on jobs

March 19, 2023
0

Growth in Namibia's mining sector is not expected to result in an increase in employment, wage growth, or consumption spending, as the sector only contributes 1.8% to total employment.

Forsys looks to improve project economics for Norasa uranium project in Namibia
Mining

Forsys looks to improve project economics for Norasa uranium project in Namibia

March 19, 2023
0

Forsys Metals Corp's Valencia Uranium has appointed DRA Mineral Projects to conduct trade-off studies for its Norasa Uranium Project in Namibia.

DBN explores funding solar systems for households
Finance

DBN explores funding solar systems for households

March 19, 2023
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The Development Bank of Namibia (DBN) is exploring the possibility of extending its funding for greenhouse projects to households in a bid to ease the financial burden of electricity and bridge the power supply gap.

Uranium One seeks review of Govt's refusal of exploration drilling permits
Mining

Uranium One seeks review of Govt's refusal of exploration drilling permits

March 17, 2023
0

Uranium One has approached the court, seeking to review a decision by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform not to grant it exploration drilling permits.

Rental Edition: What is Occupational Rent
Property

Rental Edition: What is Occupational Rent

March 17, 2023
0

Occupational rent applies when buyers move into a property before transfer and registration have taken place. It can also apply when sellers remain in occupation of the property after transfer and registration. 

TransNamib CEO Johny Smith appointed CEO of Grindrod Rail
Companies

TransNamib CEO Johny Smith appointed CEO of Grindrod Rail

March 17, 2023
0

Johny Smith, the former Chief Executive Officer of TransNamib, has been appointed as the CEO of Grindrod Rail, effective 1 April 2023.

Achieving financial freedom: A journey inspired by Namibia's Independence
Finance

Achieving financial freedom: A journey inspired by Namibia's Independence

March 17, 2023
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As Namibia celebrates 33 years of independence, it is an opportune time to reflect on the journey towards financial independence. While independence brought political freedom, financial independence provides the ability to make choices and live a life free of financial constraints.

Coping with drought: Essential strategies for farmers in Namibia
Agriculture

Coping with drought: Essential strategies for farmers in Namibia

March 17, 2023
0

As the current rainy season draws closer to an end, many farmers in the country are riddled with concerns about the time ahead. Most parts of Namibia that were forecasted to receive normal to above-normal rains have experienced below-average annual rainfall that has created a sense of panic as a drought year looms over the country.

However, with each year being unique due to erratic rainfall and the associated effects of climate change on agricultural production, farmers are urged to develop and adopt drought-coping strategies to protect their farming businesses.

It is worth noting that each business has its unique challenges, and that the business must have mitigation or coping strategies in place to be able cope with these unforeseen challenges. This principle applies to any farming business and therefore, farmers should have a coping strategy for his/her farming business.

Let us consider the strategies below.

First and foremost, it is imperative for farmers to always plan for the rainy season, this is crucial because farmer is expected to collect rainfall records from the previous rainy season. These records will help the farmer identify the distribution of rainfall across the four-month period in which it was received, its intensity, and the dry spells that were noticed.

This is important as it helps farmers plan for prolonged dry spells to minimize the scorching of crops and pasture growing on rangelands. Once it has been found that rainfall spells are on average 6 to 8 days per month, a farmer can plan to incorporate an irrigation system to meet the water requirements of the crops or pasture that are grown. This minimizes the possibility of crop failure that may result in income losses for the farmer or the scorching of valuable pasture growing on the rangeland.

The second strategy involves paying attention to the varieties or cultivars of crops that farmers buy and grow in their crop fields, especially if their production is done under rainfed conditions (reliant on rainfall as the main source of irrigation). When buying seeds, farmers are urged to always consider varieties with shorter growing periods, and usually, these varieties are indicated as early maturing varieties.

 Furthermore, attention must be given to varieties with characteristics of drought tolerance and pest resistance, as these varieties are more likely to attain better yields and harvests albeit sporadic rainfall. For livestock farmers, the focus must be on rangeland reseeding using local seeds from indigenous grasses such as Blue Buffalo which is a hardy perennial grass with high grazing value. The seeds can be collected from the end of

April from areas such as riverbeds in urban areas such as Windhoek and along major national roads. Increasing the seed bank of the soil with good indigenous seeds enables rangelands to utilize the scarce moisture from rainfall to grow valuable grasses that can support livestock during hard times.

Thirdly, farmers are urged invest in their farming businesses by taking up loans or investing funds for drilling reliable water sources such as boreholes that utilize underground water sources. Such investments enable farmers that farm with livestock to dedicate at least 2 hectares for pasture production where they irrigate the land to grow grass, lucerne, and other fodder crops that can be fed to their livestock.

As the crop farmers, having access to unlimited water means being able to produce crops all year round. This will enable a farmer to produce crops successfully as their water requirements can be met with ease. If one intends to grow maize under irrigation, it becomes relatively easier for the farmer to meet the 500 mm that the crop requires during its 4-month growing period.

This ensures that yield per hectare is not compromised as the crops are not affected by water shortages at crucial stages of growth e.g., the flowering stage.

The least utilized strategy is rainwater and floodwater harvesting. Whenever rainfall is received in abundance, 60% to 70% of the water is lost through surface runoff or either ends up being collected by some catchment water bodies such as shallow plains (Oshanas),or streams that flow into major rivers resulting in flash floods.

 Farmers can harvest rainwater in earth dams or install water tanks to collect rainwater from roof gutters. Storing abundant water during hard times such as when drought conditions prevail can enable farmers to irrigate small portions of land to aid the regrowth of fodder material for their core breeding herds (usually bulls and productive cows).

Moreover, when water is preserved and stored in tanks or reservoirs that are closed off or covered, it minimizes water loss through evaporation, enabling farmers to grow their crops easily and produce all year round. Therefore, to summarize, when water is stored and hard times such as droughts hit, there will always be a coping strategy in place.

In conclusion, farming is an undertaking that is very fruitful but also very sensitive to climate changes. With drought being a major threat that we face as a nation in 2023, farmers are strongly urged to develop robust coping mechanisms that can ensure that even during tough times, they can still be able to produce products that they can sell and maintain their income streams. “A farmer is a master of his environment, and always, a farmer makes a plan”.

* Hanks Saisai is Technical Advisor: Crops & Poultry

Govt monitoring GIPF membership amid talks to resize public service
Finance

Govt monitoring GIPF membership amid talks to resize public service

March 16, 2023
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The Namibian government is closely monitoring the membership numbers of the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) amid concerns that the fund is losing more members than it is gaining due to talks of considering resizing the public service.

Windhoek approves 167 building plans worth N$72.7m in February
Property

Windhoek approves 167 building plans worth N$72.7m in February

March 16, 2023
0

The City of Windhoek saw an uptick in the number of building plans approved in February, with a total of 167 plans approved, a 111.4% increase from January's low base of 79 approvals.

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