Following the demarcation of the then-Kavango Region in 2013, Kavango West became the youngest of Namibia's 14 regions.
The region, with its overall size of 24,591 square kilometres and about 99% predominantly rural setup, is regarded as the nation's potential food basket.
The region has agricultural potential for the cultivation of a variety of crops, making the sector in the region important given the natural resources in the form of the Kavango River, which borders the Cuando Cubango province of Angola.
"Kavango West as a region has so much potential in various sectors, specifically agriculture. As you know, the region has a perennial river where we can tap water for irrigation projects, and we also have fertile soil and land that can accommodate various crops. Green schemes like Sikondo are doing well with potatoes, which were harvested well this year. The potential in terms of agriculture is visible," explained Acting Chief Regional Officer of Kavango West, Egidius Nambara.
The rise in horticulture production in the region is slowly addressing the need to empower entrepreneurs and eventually reduce dependence on imported horticultural fresh produce.
Martin Ihemba, a small-scale horticulturist from Musese village, depends on the fresh produce from his backyard garden for an income.
"We have improved since we started getting training; the little we used to earn could not sustain us because we ended up investing back in the project. At the moment, things are looking promising; the market is picking up, and we earn a decent amount if the product is good."
Another small-scale crop farmer is 67-year-old Emiliano Albert at Marema village, who says despite relatively good produce, the project still lacks an irrigation system. He says that even though there is water availability, it makes it difficult to perform normal duties.
"Water supply is an issue, despite the garden being a few metres away from the river. We don't use the prescribed irrigation system but rather do handheld watering, which requires energy and is time-consuming to perform. Other than that, this is a good project, and we earn a living out of it; we just need that little assistance with irrigations."
Despite all this, the unemployment rate in the region stands at 33%, with 46.8% recorded just among the youth, and it still remains a concern for the region.