Rundu: About 500 farmers in the Kavango East Region received agricultural tools and inputs valued at N.dollars 2.6 million from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) alongside the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform at Rundu on Monday. The Government of Japan, through its Embassy in Namibia, funded the initiative.

According to Namibia Press Agency, FAO Representative in Namibia, Dr. Qingyun Diao, emphasized that the event marks a significant step in ongoing efforts to combat the effects of climate change and enhance food security in Namibia. Dr. Diao stated, “As we hand over these agro inputs, we are not only providing essential resources but also empowering our communities to build resilience and adapt to the growing challenges facing the agrifood sector.” FAO and its partners are dedicated to strengthening the resilience of smallholder farmers and vulnerable households, especially in regions severely affected by the El Nino-induced drought.

Dr. Diao further mentioned that the Government o
f Japan has allocated N.dollars 14 million for the period of April 2024 to March 2025 to expand FAO’s resilience-building interventions in the Ohangwena, Kavango East, and Kavango West regions. Each region is set to receive agro inputs valued at N.dollars 2.6 million, ensuring more farmers can benefit from climate-smart agricultural practices.

At the same event, the Ambassador of Japan to Namibia, Shinichi Asazuma, highlighted that under this project, FAO and its partners will distribute agro inputs such as seeds, gardening tools, water tanks, small-scale solar-powered irrigation equipment, chickens, chicken feed, and materials for constructing chicken houses to farming households. “Our collective actions must be geared towards bringing about practical and tangible solutions to achieve these national aspirations,” he said.

As part of the project implementation, Asazuma noted that skills transfer opportunities and capacity-building interventions are prioritized. Governor of the Kavango East Region, Bonny Wak
udumo, acknowledged the challenging drought conditions over the past years, which resulted in many subsistence farmers struggling to harvest enough from their fields. Wakudumo encouraged farmers to work towards food self-sufficiency with the tools received from Japan, FAO, and its partners.