Media Release
PROJECT HANDOVER OF THE HYDROPONICS FARMING SYSTEMS IN OKONGO COMMUNITY FOREST”
Okongo Community Forest, Omauni, Okongo Constituency, Ohangwena Region 18th October 2022-
The Minister of Environment, Forestry and Tourism Pohamba Shifeta yesterday officiated the handover of the “Hydroponics Farming systems in Okongo Community Forest” project funded under the CBNRM EDA Project that is implemented through the Environmental investment Fund of Namibia.
In delivering his key note address Hon. Pohamba Shifeta, urged the community of Okongo area especially the youth, to proudly safeguard this investment and transform their livelihood to reduce the number of our young people who are migrating to urban areas hoping for a better life, but in reality, rural economic transformation is the better life. He further denoted that “We remain steadfast and resolute in the pursuit of our ultimate objectives of economic emancipation and concomitant prosperity. This is realised through rural development investment, diversification of livelihood, rural employment creation amongst our youth in guest of alleviating poverty”.
Situated in the Okongo Constituency, the Okongo Community Forest project was funded to the tune of N$ 3, 052,906.74 under Ecosystem Based Adaptation investment window under the Empower to Adapt (EDA) project, which is centred around Creating Climate Change Resilient Livelihoods through Community Based Natural Resource Management in Namibia (CBNRM EDA Project).
The Okongo Community Forest covers about 55 918 hectors of land in Okongo Constituency of Ohangwena Region. The major sources of livelihoods for the communities in Okongo area focused on crop production, livestock rearing and collection of non-timber forest products. Over the past year communities has witnessed very low rainfall and reoccurring droughts which has negatively impacted most livelihoods supporting activities. The “Hydroponic farming system in Okongo Community Forest project” is funded by the Environmental Investment Fund at the tune of N$ 3 million and being implemented by the Okongo Community Forest in Ohangwena region. This project aims at increasing resilience of vulnerable communities of the community forest to adapt to climate change threats through collective capacity building and promotion of climate smart technologies and climate resilient livelihoods.
The project aims to increase resilience of vulnerable communities of the community forest to adapt to climate change threats through collective capacity building and promotion of climate smart sustainable technologies and climate resilient livelihoods.The focus of the project is on creating awareness to improve crop productivity, introducing climate smart agriculture techniques and water conservation through hydroponic systems and improving the social economic status of Okongo Community Forest and developmental of forestry sector
To date, three completed greenhouses units, a hydroponic unit for fodder production, a nursery, one borehole retrofitted with solar as well as a 10 000-liter water tank, and a cold storage facility have been completed. The project has employed two permanent workers and 65 temporally workers. The project recorded its bumper harvest early this year and generated an income of N$30 000 demonstrating capacity of a business venture.
