Oshikoto: Two community seed banks will be established in the Oshikoto and Oshana regions over the next two years under the Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Programme (DSL IP) to improve seed security, strengthen climate resilience, and support sustainable agricultural production. This initiative was announced by Reinhold Kambuli, the National Project Coordinator in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, during stakeholder consultations held on Thursday as part of the programme's 2026-2028 priority interventions.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Kambuli emphasized that the initiative is part of Namibia's efforts to achieve its Land Degradation Neutrality targets through sustainable land and forest management practices. The consultations aim to raise awareness about the programme while ensuring community participation in planning and decision-making through the Free, Prior and Informed Consent process. The National Botanical Research Institute will provide technical guidance on seed bank management and biodiversity conservation, while communities and operators will receive training to manage the facilities according to national standards.
Kambuli noted that the community seed banks are part of a broader programme that includes sustainable crop intensification through farmer field schools, procurement and distribution of farming inputs, strengthening of local seed growers, and rehabilitation of earth dams in targeted landscapes. The programme will also upgrade forestry nurseries at Ongwediva, Outapi, Onankali, and Ndiyona, restore degraded riverine areas, rehabilitate firebreak cutlines, and support tree planting to enhance environmental conservation.
Additionally, the project will reinforce green value chains by supporting certified charcoal production, devil's claw harvesting, indigenous seed collection and processing, mahangu paper production at Onankali, and the procurement of seeds from local farmer cooperatives across the Etosha, Kunene-Cuvelai, and Okavango landscapes. The DSL IP is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform under the Global Environment Facility's Sustainable Forest Management Impact Programme.
Commencing in February 2022 and running until April 2028, the project aims to reduce, reverse, and prevent further land degradation and deforestation in northern Namibia. It targets the sustainable management of more than 360,200 hectares of land and forest, restoration of 200 hectares of forest land, establishment of at least three green value chain enterprises, and direct support for 10,000 beneficiaries, with at least 40% expected to be women.