LIVESTOCK productivity in Namibia has gone down 50% over the last 70 years, leading to a drop in profitability due to a declining resource base.
According to the latest issue of the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) newsletter, the 2018/19 national drought brought the vulnerability of the entire livestock value chain to the fore, with many farmers losing all or significant proportions of their livestock.
“The market was flooded, prices crashed, the quality of products offered to the market declined and cash-strapped livestock owners have since struggled to re-build their herds,” said the union.
According to the newsletter, the root cause of the degradation of rangelands in dry climates throughout the world is largely the same – inappropriate management practices exacerbated by climate change.
The solution lies in having well-managed ruminants, using regenerative rangeland management practices that consider the variability in forage production within and between seasons, and applying measures that regenerate land in dry climates, NAU says.
“Namibia’s rangeland problems include the loss of perennial grasses, extreme bush thickening, increased bare ground, high runoff from rainfall events and loss of production.
“But, most importantly, all livestock keepers are increasingly becoming vulnerable to climate change. These same trends are seen throughout the drier parts of Africa in title-deed, as well as communal land,” said the union in the newsletter.
The global regenerative movement has seen all major economies developing regenerative policies, strategies, goals and incentives, and committing to a healthier planet and more profitable farms producing healthier foods.
“NAU is increasing awareness and has taken a lead with farmers impacting our own value chain. Just as in other countries, farmers are heading this movement with leading global soil scientists explaining what needs to be done to achieve regeneration,” the union said.
“The approaches developed to date regarding cover cropping in the region are well developed, however, the solutions for rangeland management are more elusive and complex.
The solutions that are being developed in Namibia by innovative crop and livestock farmers are on the cutting edge of these solutions globally and NAU has decided to document some of these successful regenerative farmers’ stories in a booklet entitled ‘Regenerating Namibia’s Livestock Farmers’, which can be accessed on its website.
According to NAU, farmers show how they managed to maintain their herds, production, fertility and profitability before, during and after the drought.
Producers reading these stories might be inspired to develop their own innovations or apply some of the tried and tested methods included in the booklet, said NAU.
“This is the start of a long journey of unlearning some of the less favourable habits we have developed, learning what works better and continue learning together to refine the solutions needed for Namibia.
“Adopting regenerative practices should result in everyone winning – from the farmer to the consumer, to the country, as well as the planet. If successfully up-scaled, the entire value chain will become more resilient, more prosperous, and produce better quality animals and crops more consistently,” NAU advised.
The implementation of these practices would also contribute to improved ecosystem services as well as sequestrate large amounts of carbon – thereby contributing to climate change mitigation, said the union.
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