Maria David
THE annual rice harvest at Ogongo Campus is reinforcing the crop’s significant potential to boost food security in Namibia, particularly as a crop that thrives in wetland environments.
This year’s festival is being celebrated under the theme: “Promoting Seasonal Wetland Rice Production Among Smallholders for Sustainable Livelihoods.”
University of Namibia (UNAM) Vice Chancellor Kenneth Matengu said that since its inception, the Ogongo Campus has trained about 4,000 farmers in the Ogongo area in rice cultivation.
However, Matengu said only 200 to 300 of these farmers are currently struggling in rice farming.
Matengu made the remarks during the rice harvest festival at Ogongo Campus on Thursday, saying that this lower-than-expected success rate is attributed to challenges with extension services and mechanisms, prompting the campus to actively seek solutions to better support these farmers and ensure their success.
“This year, 20 farmers who received training in rice planting have successfully harvested their yields, demonstrating the viability of the initiative,” he said.
Further, he said the scale of cultivation is also expanding, with 6.7 hectares of land dedicated to rice this year—a significant increase from the 1.4 hectares worked on last year.
Matengu indicated that they are expecting to harvest about 15 to 19 tonnes of rice from this season’s efforts.
Beyond rice, he said the campus also runs a poultry project.
“Currently, the project produces over 3,000 chicks from a previous stock of 300. The long-term goal for the poultry operation is to achieve an annual production of between 40,000 and 60,000 chicks,” he added.
Matengu explained that the poultry industry at the moment is not currently profitable; however, there is an optimistic outlook for its future viability.
In a move to further support local agricultural efforts, farmers in the area are making good use of the milling machine available at the Ogongo Campus, streamlining their post-harvest processes.
