Organic agri to combat climate change
Introducing organic agriculture practices to Namibia’s agricultural system will help the country combat climate change, rejuvenate agricultural soils, reduce agricultural water usage and produce nutrient-dense food, Aufderheide-Voigts said.
ELLANIE SMIT
WINDHOEK
The Namibian Organic Association (NOA) and the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) recently launched a programme to boost organic agriculture in Namibia.
Country activities will be delivered through the Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture in Southern Africa (KH SA) that aims to promote the adoption and scaling-up of organic agriculture in the region.
The Namibian project manager, Mareike Aufderheide-Voigts, said introducing organic agriculture practices to Namibia’s agricultural system will help the country combat climate change, rejuvenate agricultural soils, reduce agricultural water usage and produce nutrient-dense food.
KH SA is a collaborative country-led partnership funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
It is one of five Knowledge Hubs for Organic Agriculture, under the Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture in Africa programme, pursuing the goal of disseminating knowledge and shaping a network on national, regional and continental levels.
Closing the knowledge gap
KH SA aims to close the knowledge gaps that limits the sharing of organic agriculture production methods in southern Africa. Namibian project activities aim to increase the number of organic growers and volume of organic food produced in the country. The project will further be supported by the development of an online platform to disseminate context-specific knowledge about organic farming in Africa.
“Organic agriculture in the Namibian context refers to an inclusive approach to certified and non-certified organic agriculture production systems such as conservation agriculture, regenerative, biodynamic, biological and ecological farming, permaculture, agro-ecology and agro-forestry systems, as well as climate-smart and climate-resilient production systems,” NOA chairperson Eckhart Foertsch said.
Strategic
Organic food production is increasingly viewed by international organisations such as the United Nations as a strategic way to address challenges of rural poverty, malnutrition and biodiversity loss, particularly in a time of climate change.
Organic agriculture can be a pathway to addressing not only hunger and malnutrition, but also other challenges including poverty, water use, climate change and unsustainable production and consumption.
“Organic agriculture is knowledge-intensive, and putting it into practice requires an in-depth understanding of soil fertility, natural cycles and interactions between soil, microorganisms, plants and livestock,” Aufderheide-Voigts said.
The KH SA project will help by gathering and sharing information with Namibian farmers to allow them to benefit from practices that are environmentally friendly and sustainable.
More productive landscapes
NNF executive director Angus Middleton said what they aim to do is strive for more productive landscapes that produce food and natural resources and, at the same time, maximise on the ecosystem services that benefit wider society.
“The Namibian agricultural landscape continues to develop at an amazing rate and an initiative like this - that equips farmers with the skills to practice more sustainable agriculture - is of utmost importance.”
The next step in the project is to engage stakeholders and ensure that their recommendations are considered in project implementation.
WINDHOEK
The Namibian Organic Association (NOA) and the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) recently launched a programme to boost organic agriculture in Namibia.
Country activities will be delivered through the Knowledge Hub for Organic Agriculture in Southern Africa (KH SA) that aims to promote the adoption and scaling-up of organic agriculture in the region.
The Namibian project manager, Mareike Aufderheide-Voigts, said introducing organic agriculture practices to Namibia’s agricultural system will help the country combat climate change, rejuvenate agricultural soils, reduce agricultural water usage and produce nutrient-dense food.
KH SA is a collaborative country-led partnership funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
It is one of five Knowledge Hubs for Organic Agriculture, under the Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture in Africa programme, pursuing the goal of disseminating knowledge and shaping a network on national, regional and continental levels.
Closing the knowledge gap
KH SA aims to close the knowledge gaps that limits the sharing of organic agriculture production methods in southern Africa. Namibian project activities aim to increase the number of organic growers and volume of organic food produced in the country. The project will further be supported by the development of an online platform to disseminate context-specific knowledge about organic farming in Africa.
“Organic agriculture in the Namibian context refers to an inclusive approach to certified and non-certified organic agriculture production systems such as conservation agriculture, regenerative, biodynamic, biological and ecological farming, permaculture, agro-ecology and agro-forestry systems, as well as climate-smart and climate-resilient production systems,” NOA chairperson Eckhart Foertsch said.
Strategic
Organic food production is increasingly viewed by international organisations such as the United Nations as a strategic way to address challenges of rural poverty, malnutrition and biodiversity loss, particularly in a time of climate change.
Organic agriculture can be a pathway to addressing not only hunger and malnutrition, but also other challenges including poverty, water use, climate change and unsustainable production and consumption.
“Organic agriculture is knowledge-intensive, and putting it into practice requires an in-depth understanding of soil fertility, natural cycles and interactions between soil, microorganisms, plants and livestock,” Aufderheide-Voigts said.
The KH SA project will help by gathering and sharing information with Namibian farmers to allow them to benefit from practices that are environmentally friendly and sustainable.
More productive landscapes
NNF executive director Angus Middleton said what they aim to do is strive for more productive landscapes that produce food and natural resources and, at the same time, maximise on the ecosystem services that benefit wider society.
“The Namibian agricultural landscape continues to develop at an amazing rate and an initiative like this - that equips farmers with the skills to practice more sustainable agriculture - is of utmost importance.”
The next step in the project is to engage stakeholders and ensure that their recommendations are considered in project implementation.
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