Download tatement for CA 11 June 2015

OFFICIAL
AND
PUBLIC
LAUNCH
OF
THE
MAWF’S
COMPREHENSIVE
CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE PROGRAMME/POLICY DOCUMENT: STATEMENT
BY JOHN MUTORWA, MP AND MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, WATER AND
FORESTRY (MAWF), 11 JUNE 2015, 10H00, WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA.
1.
The Fourth National Development Plan of Namibia has identified
Conservation Agriculture (CA), as a core strategy, for sustainable crop
production in Namibia. Consequently, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water
and Forestry introduced CA as an essential crop production system base,
for enhancing the production of crops and livestock, livelihoods and the
quality of life of farmers across our country, not only in the so-called
Northern Communal Areas (NCA’s).
2.
The agriculture sector in Namibia ideally needs to grow or is expected to
grow by 4% a year, to meet the food requirements for the Country’s
growing population.
However, the expansion of cultivated areas to
compensate for low yields, the exploitation of low nutrients status soils,
without restoration of soil fertility; changing climate patterns , including
low, unpredictable and erratic rainfalls, and lack of well-adapted
technologies, have been long identified, as some of the major challenges of
soil fertility management in Namibia.
3.
The conservation and maintenance of soil fertility are, therefore, essential,
to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of inputs, used while hoping to
achieve increased productivity.
4.
Future food security relies not only on higher production and access to
food, but also on the need to address the destructive effects of agricultural
production practices on the environment; as well as the devastating
negative conseques of Climate change, particularly in a most arid or dry
country, like ours, Namibia.
5.
Therefore it is believed and hoped that, CA will increase the resilience of
production practices impacted by, amongst others, climate change.
6.
Conservation Agriculture in Namibia will, to a large extent, address the
problem of low and erratic rainfalls, through the use of practices that
reduce water losses and increase infiltration and low soil nutrients status,
by increasing soil carbon and nitrogen, through the use of organic soil cover
and legumes in rotation.
7.
It has been proved here in Namibia and elsewhere that, CA enables the
sustainable intensification of agriculture by conserving and enhancing the
quality of the soil, leading to higher yields and the protection of the local
environment and ecosystems services.
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A vigorous consultative process took place with national stakeholders and
development partners since 2010, with technical support from FAO to
develop the programme and the Policy document that is being launched,
today. This process was so followed, to ensure that there are inputs to
the programme, in an inclusive and collective manner.
MAWF staff and
private farmers were sent to selected SADC countries for exposure and
inputs to the ultimate finalization of the CA document for Namibia, with
the most valuable assistance of the FAO.
8.
Objectives of the programme:
This programme aims to:
a)
Increase awareness and knowledge of CA among stakeholders,
including farmers, extension workers, researchers and policy – and
decision-makers;
b)
Increase farmers’ and extension workers’ skills of practicing CA;
c)
Conduct farmer-focused research, to develop appropriate CA
technologies and packages for the farming systems;
d)
Establish institutional arrangements for harmonized and coordinated
implementation of the CA programme;
e)
Ensure farmers have sustained access to CA equipment, inputs,
markets and services and;
f)
Develop standards, then monitor and evaluate adoption and impact
of the programme.
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9.
Targeted Areas and Beneficiaries
This programme will target all crop producers in Namibia, encouraging
them to adopt CA practices, depending on the resources available to them.
The programme also aims at providing Government assistance in a form of
subsidy to:
1)
Communal crop and livestock producers concentrated in Omusati,
Oshana,
Ohangwena,
Oshikoto,
Kavango-East,
Kavango-West,
Zambezi, Otjozondjupa, Kunene, Omaheke regions; as well as
Hardap, Erongo and //Kharas Regions, where applicable.
2)
Commercially rain-fed farmers, including resettlement farmers,
affirmative action farmers and irrigation farmers in the maize triangle
and elsewhere;
3)
Farmers as categorized in Horticultural Programmes; and,
4)
Farmers from the GRN Green Scheme Irrigation projects (commercial
irrigation schemes with some rain-fed cropping, large scale service
providers and associated medium scale emerging farmers), farming
along the perennial rivers in the extreme Northwest, northeast and
south of the country and near the Country’s dams elsewhere.
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10.
Linkages
This programme is structured, conceptualized and will be implemented in
line with National Development Priorities as stipulated in Vision 2030 and
NDP4. The programme is complementary to existing Government projects
and programmes, e.g. Rain-Fed Crop Production Programme, Green
Scheme Programme, Horticultural Projects etc.
11.
Budget:
The budget for the CA programme is estimated to be N$94.46 million over
a period of 5 years with commitments from the MAWF as well as other
reliable stakeholders, such FAO, EU and the German Government.
12.
I am inviting more reliable and serious partners to come on board, to
directly engage with us and fund some aspects of the programme.
13.
Key Interventions:
The key interventions of the CA programme are as follows:

Awareness creation;

Coordination of activities;

Establishment of evidence base for CA;

Development of standards for M&E;

Technologies packaging;
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
Capacity building of research, extension, training and engineering
services;
14.

Capacity building of farmers;

Equipment, inputs and services;

Research methods and topics; and

Marketing.
Activities for each intervention are elaborated in the programme
document.
15.
After having said all these many many words, it now remains my singular
and most enormous public duty to declare the COMPREHENSIVE
CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE PROGRAMME FOR NAMIBIA, 2015-2019,
official and publicly launched.
16.
I thank you all!
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