The Executive Commissioner for Agriculture at the Ovaherero Traditional Authority says farmers need to ensure the optimum health of their animals for them to produce more.
Dr. Baby Kaurivi-Katunahange said this during a livestock health education meeting at the HereroFest in Okahandja.
Dr. Kaurivi-Katunahange noted that it is important to keep animals healthy to improve production and reproduction.
Recurrent drought and locust outbreaks continue to impact smallholder farmers with agriculture-based livelihoods, making them vulnerable to food insecurity and undernutrition.
While nearly 70% of the Namibian population depends on agriculture, the 021 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report indicated that 26% of Namibia's population faces acute food insecurity.
30% of the population faced acute food insecurity during the period from December 2021 to March 2022.
The Agricultural Bank of Namibia (AgriBank), through its Agri Advisory Services Division, conducted a mentorship workshop for its clients at Mariental in the Hardap Region.
The programme was established to provide structured mentorship and training services to clients of Agri Bank Namibia, who mostly consist of communal and commercial farmers who had been provided with loans and agricultural equipment over the years.
AgriBank recently introduced a stakeholder complaint handling policy aimed at guiding the bank in the handling of complaints from clients and the public.
The late rains towards the end of March have left farmers doubting the survival of their farming enterprises.
On top of the late rains, farmers are unhappy with the rock-bottom prices they receive for their livestock at auctions.
The nbc News team engaged some farmers in the communal areas of the region.
A seasonal farmer in the Epukiro Constituency, Charles Nguvauva, told nbc News team that this year started off badly as their earth dam was drying up. However, the area recently received close to 200 millimetres of rain.
The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) says most farmers are faced with severe forage scarcity due to the poor rainfall experienced this year.
Speaking to nbc News, the union's Marketing and Public Relations Officer, Tanja Dahl, says the situation is expected to get worse as the normal dry season is setting in.
Dahl says there is a shortage of forage, and farmers are faced with the dilemma of how to keep their animals alive during these dry times.
Otjozondjupa Governor James Uerikua says the completion of the biomass project at Otjiwarongo would help address developmental hindrances such as drought.
Uerikua says amidst the current drought spells affecting the nation, biomass will assist in the bush encroachment that is affecting grazing lands or harvesting fields.
Uerikua said that farmers across the region have been battling with diminishing grazing lands.
Thirty communal farmers received quality goat rams from the Berseba Constituency Office to enhance the quality of their livestock and transform their farming.
They also received training in animal husbandry, understanding farming cycles, and how to transform and follow creative farming system management.
The Councillor of Berseba Constituency, Jeremias Goeieman, urged farmers to venture into a shared community of quality animals and sell among them, as this could mean good-quality produce and price sharing within the farming communities.
Agriculture is becoming popular among young people as a means to make a living.
30-year-old Petrus Muyeve from Karibib is one such person who turned his erf into a garden, and it's now paying off.
Muyeve migrated to Karibib from Rundu in search of a better life for himself and his three children.
However, after years in Karibib, he found himself still unemployed and struggling to make ends meet.
Muyeve and his family live in a location called Uis, one of many informal settlements that have sprung up due to urbanisation.
The World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Namibian Agronomic Board, recently handed over essential farming equipment to two small-scale farmers in the Zambezi Region. This initiative aims to support and enhance agricultural productivity in the area.
One of the farmers, Regina Mayumbelo, received equipment valued at N$250,000, which included fencing material, a shade net with irrigation, seeds, and continued technical support.
The second farmer, Vincent Siliye, whose equipment included solar panels, was funded at N$350,000.
The Meat Board of Namibia has changed its name to the Livestock and Livestock Products Board of Namibia (LLPBN) to include under its mandate dairy products, animal hides, and poultry and poultry products.
The Meat Board is mandated by the Meat Industry Act to regulate cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs. However, the ACT was amended to ensure the company would serve all livestock and livestock by-products. As a result, the company will market additional commodities such as poultry, eggs, and dairy products.
