Staff Reporter
THE United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Capricorn Foundation and the University of Namibia (UNAM), recently organised a three-day training session in the Hardap Region to boost farmers’ capacity to increase and diversify their incomes while connecting them with market actors.
The training was held under the theme “Promoting Nutrition-Sensitive and Sustainable Food Processing through Value Addition to Reduce Post-Harvest Loss and Food Waste.”
WFP revealed that the training brought together 45 participants, including youth and women from farmsteads in Stampriet, Schlip, Bernafay, and Maltahöhe.
WFP added that the smallholder farmers involved in the training learned how to transform locally grown produce such as carrots, tomatoes, and beetroot into value-added products like carrot juice, beetroot juice, pickled beetroot, vacuum-packed sliced carrots, and tomato paste. Participants were also provided with value addition equipment, including solar dryers and agricultural inputs, to enhance on-farm productivity and support the sustainable application of their new skills.
“Value addition is essential to ensure that the production of food not only enables consumption but also enables farmers to create sustainable livelihoods from the food they produce,” said Tiwonge Machiwenyika, WFP Country Director Officer in Charge (OIC).
The training is part of a larger effort by WFP and UNAM, which has reached over 600 smallholder farmers from Zambezi, Oshana, and Oshikoto regions in 2023 with value addition and food preservation training. During this intake, participants were capacitated by GS1 Namibia on food safety, market access, and product commercialisation strategies, including branding, barcoding, and market research.
“Food loss and waste, as well as the inadequate access to food resulting in malnutrition, remain a great concern in Namibia. These are challenges that the Capricorn Foundation aims to address alongside like-minded organisations, and as connectors of positive change, we are proud of our partnership with the World Food Programme,” said Marlize Horn, Executive Officer of the Capricorn Foundation.
Professor Kenneth Matengu, Vice-Chancellor at UNAM, emphasised that the training exemplifies the kind of impact and value that can be offered to communities when academic knowledge is paired with strategic partnerships.
